A mainboard and electronic equipment

Abstract

A motherboard includes: a soft-start circuit, a current-carrying circuit, n voltage sampling devices, n power partitioning circuits, and a control circuit. The voltage input terminals of both the soft-start circuit and the current-carrying circuit are connected to the output terminals of the power supply. The voltage output terminals of both the soft-start circuit and the current-carrying circuit are connected to a first terminal of each voltage sampling device. A second terminal of each voltage sampling device is connected to the input terminal of a power partitioning circuit. A first control output terminal of the control circuit is connected to the control input terminal of the soft-start circuit. A second control output terminal of the control circuit is connected to the control input terminal of the current-carrying circuit. A first sampling voltage input terminal of the control circuit is connected to the first terminals of the n voltage sampling devices. The n second sampling voltage input terminals of the control circuit are respectively connected to the second terminals of the n voltage sampling devices. The control circuit controls the operating state of the soft-start circuit and / or the current-carrying circuit based on the acquired voltage. This reduces the area of ​​the motherboard.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of computer technology, and more particularly to a motherboard, control method, and electronic device for an electronic device. Background Technology

[0002] Generally, in the power supply design of motherboards for electronic devices such as servers, the power supply partitioning on the motherboard is often refined for considerations such as hot-swapping, fault isolation, and anti-burn-in. Currently, a common approach is to add soft-start current-carrying circuits to each power supply partition. However, this circuitry is costly, occupies a large area, and does not contribute to the computing power of servers and other electronic devices. Therefore, how to implement low-cost and space-saving soft-start current-carrying circuits on the motherboards of servers and other electronic devices is a pressing technical problem that needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application provides a motherboard and electronic device that enables the implementation of a low-cost, small-area slow-start current-carrying circuit on the motherboard of electronic devices such as servers.

[0004] In a first aspect, this application provides a motherboard, comprising: a soft-start circuit, a current-carrying circuit, n voltage sampling devices, n power partitioning circuits, and a control circuit; wherein n is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1. The voltage input terminals of the soft-start circuit, the current-carrying circuit, and the output terminal of the DC power supply are electrically connected. The voltage output terminals of the soft-start circuit, the current-carrying circuit, and the first terminal of each of the n voltage sampling devices are electrically connected. The second terminal of each voltage sampling device is electrically connected to the input terminal of a power partitioning circuit. The first control output terminal of the control circuit is electrically connected to the control input terminal of the soft-start circuit; the second control output terminal of the control circuit is electrically connected to the control input terminal of the current-carrying circuit. The n first sampling voltage input terminals of the control circuit are respectively electrically connected to the first terminals of the n voltage sampling devices. The n second sampling voltage input terminals of the control circuit are respectively electrically connected to the second terminals of the n voltage sampling devices. The control circuit is used to control the operating state of the soft-start circuit and / or the current-carrying circuit based on the first and second sampling voltages across the n voltage sampling devices.

[0005] In this way, the motherboard uses a soft-start circuit to buffer current during startup to avoid overcurrent and a current-carrying circuit to control the on / off state of downstream circuits. This enables soft-start and overcurrent protection for the motherboard on electronic devices, reduces the motherboard area, and lowers the cost of electronic devices.

[0006] In one possible implementation, the n voltage sampling devices are inductors and / or resistors.

[0007] In one possible implementation, the control circuit controls the operating state of the soft-start circuit and / or the current-carrying circuit based on a first and a second sampled voltage across n voltage sampling devices. This includes: the control circuit determining a short circuit in at least one power partition circuit based on the first and second sampled voltages across the n voltage sampling devices, and then controlling the current-carrying circuit and the soft-start circuit to stop operating. For example, after a soft start is completed, the soft-start circuit can be controlled to stop operating first, and the current-carrying circuit can be controlled to start operating; and, when a short circuit in the power partition circuit is detected, the current-carrying circuit can be controlled to stop operating, while the soft-start circuit remains in a stopped state. Alternatively, after a soft start is completed, the soft-start circuit can continue to operate, and the current-carrying circuit can be controlled to operate; and, when a short circuit in the power partition circuit is detected, both the current-carrying circuit and the soft-start circuit can be controlled to stop operating.

[0008] In one possible implementation, if the n voltage sampling devices are inductors, the control circuit is used to determine at least one power partition circuit short-circuit based on the first sampling voltage and the second sampling voltage across the n voltage sampling devices, including: the control circuit is used to: determine that the power partition circuit electrically connected to the target sampling device is short-circuited if the second sampling voltage of the target voltage sampling device is lower than a first voltage threshold, and the first sampling voltage of the target voltage sampling device is higher than the second voltage threshold within a first preset time period; wherein, the starting point of the first preset time period is when the second sampling voltage is lower than the first voltage threshold.

[0009] In one possible implementation, if the n voltage sampling devices are resistors, the control circuit is used to determine at least one power partition circuit short-circuit based on the first and second sampling voltages across the n voltage sampling devices, including: the control circuit is used to determine that the power partition circuit electrically connected to the target sampling device is short-circuited if the difference between the first and second sampling voltages across the target voltage sampling device is higher than a third voltage threshold.

[0010] In one possible implementation, before the control circuit determines that at least one power partition circuit is short-circuited based on the first and second sampled voltages across the n voltage sampling devices, the control circuit is further configured to: control the soft-start circuit to operate and acquire the first sampled voltages of the n voltage sampling devices; if the first sampled voltages of the n sampling devices reach a threshold voltage within a preset time period, control the current-carrying circuit to operate.

[0011] In one possible implementation, the control circuit is also used to: control the soft-start circuit to stop working if the first sampled voltage of the n voltage sampling devices reaches the threshold voltage within a preset time period.

[0012] In one possible implementation, the control circuit is also used to: control the soft-start circuit to restart if the first sampled voltage is lower than the threshold voltage within a preset time period.

[0013] In one possible implementation, the motherboard also includes a baseboard management controller; the alarm output and reset input of the control circuit are electrically connected to the alarm input and reset signal output of the baseboard management controller.

[0014] Secondly, this application provides an electronic device, including: a motherboard as described in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect. Exemplarily, the electronic device may, but is not limited to, be a server.

[0015] It is understandable that the beneficial effects of the second aspect mentioned above can be found in the relevant descriptions in the first aspect mentioned above, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the arrangement of a slow-start overcurrent protection circuit on the motherboard of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0017] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the arrangement of the soft-start circuit and the current-carrying circuit on the motherboard of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0018] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a soft-start circuit provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0019] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the voltage change during the startup process of a soft-start circuit provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0020] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the control process during the power-on process of the motherboard on an electronic device, provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0021] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement of the soft-start circuit and the current-carrying circuit on the motherboard of another electronic device provided in this application embodiment;

[0022] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the control process during the power-on process of the motherboard in another electronic device provided in this application embodiment;

[0023] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement of the soft-start circuit and the current-carrying circuit on the motherboard of another electronic device provided in this application embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0024] In this article, the term "and / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, or B existing alone. The symbol " / " in this article indicates that the related objects are in an "or" relationship; for example, A / B means A or B.

[0025] The terms "first" and "second," etc., used in the specification and claims herein are used to distinguish different objects, not to describe a specific order of objects. For example, "first response message" and "second response message," etc., are used to distinguish different response messages, not to describe a specific order of response messages.

[0026] In the embodiments of this application, the terms "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate that something is an example, illustration, or description. Any embodiment or design that is described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design. Specifically, the use of the terms "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0027] In the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" means two or more, for example, multiple processing units means two or more processing units, multiple elements means two or more elements, etc.

[0028] It is understood that the electronic device described in the embodiments of this application may be, but is not limited to, a server.

[0029] For example, Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the soft-start overcurrent protection circuit layout on the motherboard of an electronic device is shown. Figure 1 As shown, assume the motherboard of an electronic device is divided into n (n≥1) power partitions. Each power partition can include a power source and a load set. Each load set includes at least one load. When the electronic device is a server, the load can be any one of the following: memory, graphics card, central processing unit (CPU), hard drive, fan, etc. Figure 1 In this system, a soft-start overcurrent protection circuit can be installed before each power supply zone. This circuit serves both as a soft-start device and provides overcurrent protection.

[0030] While this approach effectively protects electronic devices, the requirement of an individual soft-start overcurrent protection circuit for each power supply zone necessitates significant space allocation on the motherboard for these circuits, resulting in a large footprint. Furthermore, the metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) field-effect transistors used in these circuits often require high-performance components, increasing the cost of each circuit and consequently raising the overall cost of the electronic device.

[0031] In view of this, this application provides a motherboard that uses a soft-start circuit to buffer current during startup to avoid overcurrent and a current-carrying circuit to control the on / off state of downstream circuits. This enables soft-start and overcurrent protection for the motherboard on electronic devices, reduces the area of ​​the motherboard, and lowers the cost of electronic devices.

[0032] For example, Figure 2 A schematic diagram showing the arrangement of the soft-start circuit and the current-carrying circuit on the motherboard of an electronic device is shown. Figure 2 As shown, with Figure 1 The power supply zones are the same, in Figure 2 In this context, the motherboard of an electronic device is also divided into n (n≥1) power partitions (also known as "power partitioning circuits"). Figure 2 The motherboard also includes a soft-start circuit 21, a current-carrying circuit 22, and n inductors. The soft-start circuit 21 and the current-carrying circuit 22 are connected in parallel, and the input terminals of both circuits are electrically connected to a power supply, such as a 12V or 48V switching power supply. That is, the voltage input terminals of both the soft-start circuit 21 and the current-carrying circuit 22 are electrically connected to the output terminal of the DC power supply. For example, the current-carrying circuit 22 can be used to control the on / off state of the circuits downstream of it.

[0033] Each power zone is equipped with an inductor. The input terminal of each inductor is electrically connected to the output terminals of the soft-start circuit 21 and the current-carrying circuit 22, and the output terminal of each inductor is electrically connected to the input terminal of the power supply in the power zone corresponding to that inductor. That is to say, the voltage output terminals of the soft-start circuit 21 and the voltage output terminals of the current-carrying circuit 22 are electrically connected to the first terminal (i.e., voltage input terminal) of each of the n inductors; the second terminal (i.e., voltage output terminal) of each inductor is electrically connected to the input terminal of a power zone.

[0034] In addition, Figure 2In this embodiment, the motherboard of the electronic device is also equipped with: a drive circuit 23, a drive circuit 24, and a microcontroller unit (MCU) 25. The MCU 25 is equipped with a soft-start enable pin (Softstart EN), a pass current enable pin (Pass Current EN), and a fast shutdown pin (Fast Shutdown). The soft-start enable pin (Softstart EN) is electrically connected to the input of the drive circuit 23, and the output of the drive circuit 23 is electrically connected to the input of the soft-start circuit 21. The pass current enable pin (Pass Current EN) is electrically connected to the input of the drive circuit 24, and the output of the drive circuit 24 is electrically connected to the input of the pass current circuit 22. The fast shutdown pin (Fast Shutdown) is electrically connected to the input of the pass current circuit 22. In this embodiment, the drive circuit 23 or 24 is an intermediate circuit used to amplify the signal output by the MCU 25. In some embodiments, the fast shutdown pin can also be electrically connected to the input terminal of the soft start circuit 21, so that the MCU 25 can simultaneously control the fast shutdown of the soft start circuit 21 and the current-passing circuit 22, thereby allowing both to stop working at the same time. In some embodiments, the MCU 25 can also be referred to as the control circuit, the soft start enable pin can also be referred to as the first control output terminal, and the end of the soft start circuit 21 connected to the drive circuit 23 can be referred to as the control input terminal of the soft start circuit 21. In this case, the relationship between the MCU 25 and the soft start circuit 21 can be described as follows: the first control output terminal of the control circuit is electrically connected to the control input terminal of the soft start circuit 21. In some embodiments, the MCU 25 can also be referred to as the control circuit, the current-passing circuit enable pin can also be referred to as the second control output terminal, and the end of the current-passing circuit 22 connected to the drive circuit 24 can be referred to as the control input terminal of the current-passing circuit 22. In this case, the relationship between the MCU 25 and the current-passing circuit 22 can be described as follows: the second control output terminal of the control circuit is electrically connected to the control input terminal of the current-passing circuit 22.

[0035] The MCU25 is also equipped with a sense pin (Vout sense) for monitoring the voltage at the output terminals of the soft-start circuit 21 and the current-carrying circuit 22 (hereinafter referred to as "bus voltage"). This sense pin can be electrically connected, but is not limited to, to the lines between the input terminals of each inductor and the output terminals of the soft-start circuit 21 and the current-carrying circuit 22. In some embodiments, the sense pin for monitoring the voltage at the output terminals of the soft-start circuit 21 and the current-carrying circuit 22 can also be referred to as the first sampling voltage input terminal, which is equivalent to being electrically connected to the first terminal (i.e., voltage input terminal) of each inductor, for collecting the voltage at the first terminal of each inductor, and can also be referred to as the first sampling voltage. Since the voltage at the first terminal of each inductor is equivalent to the bus voltage, in this embodiment, the bus voltage can also be referred to as the first sampling voltage.

[0036] The MCU25 is also equipped with n sense pins (L sense) for monitoring the voltage at the output terminals of inductors (hereinafter referred to as "short-circuit detection point voltage"). Each L sense is electrically connected to the line between the output terminal of an inductor and the input terminal of the power supply corresponding to that inductor. In some embodiments, the sense pin for monitoring the voltage at the output terminals of inductors can also be referred to as the second sampling voltage input terminal, which is equivalent to being electrically connected to the second terminal (i.e., voltage output terminal) of each inductor to collect the voltage at the second terminal of each inductor, which can also be referred to as the second sampling voltage. The short-circuit detection point voltage can also be referred to as the second sampling voltage. In some embodiments, the MCU25 can control the operating state of the soft-start circuit 21 and / or the current-carrying circuit 22 based on the first and second sampling voltages across the n inductors, as described below.

[0037] The MCU25 is also equipped with pins for electrical connection to the baseboard management controller (BMC) (IIC to BMC), a reset pin, and n input / output (I / O1~n to CPLD) pins for electrical connection to a complex programmable logic device (CPLD). When the MCU25 detects an abnormal voltage at the output of an inductor, it can transmit this information to the CPLD via the corresponding I / O pin, allowing the CPLD to record the information for subsequent troubleshooting. Conversely, the MCU25 can also transmit this information to the CPLD when the output voltage of an inductor is normal, allowing the CPLD to record the information. In some embodiments, the reset pin can also be referred to as a reset input. A reset output pin can be configured on the BMC and electrically connected to the reset input pin on the MCU25. Additionally, the MCU25 can be configured with an alarm output terminal, and the BMC can be configured with an alarm input terminal, wherein the alarm output terminal and the alarm input terminal are electrically connected. The MCU25 can transmit alarm information to the BMC through its alarm output terminal, and then the BMC will issue an alarm message.

[0038] The MCU25 can be powered by connecting a DC-DC converter (DC / DC) or a low-dropout regulator (LDO) to a power supply (such as a 12V or 48V power supply).

[0039] In some embodiments, the MCU25 can be replaced by a CPLD, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), etc., depending on the actual situation, and is not limited here. Furthermore, the MCU25 can be configured independently or integrated with other control devices on the motherboard of the electronic device.

[0040] In some embodiments, the soft-start circuit 21 may be based on a field-effect transistor (MOSFET (MOS)). For example, such as... Figure 3As shown, the MOS transistor may include a gate G, a source S, and a drain D. Parasitic capacitors, namely Cds, Cgs, and Cgd, may be deployed between the respective electrodes. Among them, the drain D may be electrically connected to a 12V power supply, the gate G may be electrically connected to the output terminal of the drive circuit 23, and the source S may be electrically connected to each inductor. The state of the soft-start circuit 21 may change as Vgs gradually increases. As Figure 4 shown, when Vgs < Vth (i.e., the turn-on voltage), the source S and the drain D are not conducting, Vds remains unchanged, and the electrical property of Cgd is that the side close to the drain D is the positive electrode and the side close to the gate G is the negative electrode; when Vgs = Vth, the source S and the drain D start to gradually conduct, Vds gradually decreases, and when Vgs = Vds, Vgd = 0V. At this time, the voltage of Cgd drops to 0; thereafter, Vgs > Vds and Vgd > 0. At this time, Vgs is used to charge Cgd in the reverse direction. Therefore, within a certain period of time (stage 3), Vgs cannot continue to rise, and the rate of decrease of Vds slows down. By controlling the charging time of Cgd, the rate of decrease of Vds can be controlled, thereby achieving soft start. Of course, the soft-start circuit 21 may also be replaced with a series-connected inductor type circuit or a series-connected resistor type circuit, or may be replaced with other circuits that can buffer the current during startup to avoid overshoot current. The replaced solutions are still within the protection scope of this application.

[0041] The current-carrying circuit 22 may also be a MOS transistor. At this time, continue to refer to Figure 3 This MOS transistor may include a gate G, a source S, and a drain D. The drain D may be electrically connected to a 12V power supply; the gate G may be electrically connected to the output terminal of the drive circuit 24 and is also electrically connected to the fast shutdown pin (Fast shurt down) on the MCU 25; the source S may be electrically connected to each inductor. Of course, the current-carrying circuit 22 may also be replaced with other devices (such as relays, fuses, etc.) or circuits that can achieve current on and off. The replaced solutions are still within the protection scope of this application.

[0042] In some embodiments, the soft-start circuit 21 and the current-carrying circuit 22 may be arranged separately or integrated together.

[0043] The above is the introduction to the arrangement of the soft-start circuit and the current-carrying circuit on the main board of the electronic device provided in the embodiments of this application. Next, based on the above content, the soft-start process and the overcurrent protection process on the main board of the electronic device will be introduced.

[0044] Exemplarily, Figure 5 shows a schematic diagram of the soft-start process and the overcurrent protection process on the main board of an electronic device. As Figure 5 shown, the soft-start process and the overcurrent protection process on the main board may include the following steps:

[0045] S501, the motherboard is powered on, and MCU25 is initialized.

[0046] In this embodiment, after the motherboard is powered on, the MCU25 can be powered by DC / DC26. After the MCU25 is powered on, it can perform initialization operations.

[0047] S502 and MCU25 control the operation of soft start circuit 21.

[0048] In this embodiment, after the MCU25 completes the initialization operation, it can output a soft start enable signal through its soft start enable pin (Softstart EN) to control the soft start circuit 21 to work.

[0049] S503 and MCU25 determine whether the bus voltage Vout sense has reached the preset voltage after the first preset time.

[0050] In this embodiment, after the MCU25 controls the soft-start circuit 21 to operate, it can monitor the bus voltage Vout sense (i.e., the first sampling voltage) in real time or periodically. If the bus voltage still does not reach the preset voltage (e.g., 12V, 48V, etc.) after a preset time, it indicates that the soft start has failed, and S504 can be executed at this time. If the bus voltage reaches the preset voltage (e.g., 12V, 48V, etc.) after a preset time, it indicates that the soft start has succeeded, and S507 can be executed at this time. For example, the preset voltage here can also be called the threshold voltage.

[0051] S504 and MCU25 determine whether the number of restarts of the soft-start circuit 21 has reached the preset number.

[0052] In this embodiment, when the soft start fails, the MCU25 can determine that the soft start circuit 21 has restarted a preset number of times. If the preset number of times has not been reached, S505 can be executed; otherwise, S506 can be executed.

[0053] S505 and MCU25 control the soft-start circuit 21 to restart, record the number of restarts, and return to execute S503.

[0054] In this embodiment, when the number of restarts of the startup circuit 21 does not reach the preset number, the MCU 25 can control the soft-start circuit 21 to restart, record the number of restarts, and return to execute S503.

[0055] S506 and MCU25 abort the soft start and report an alarm to BMC.

[0056] In this embodiment, when the number of restarts of the soft-start circuit 21 reaches a preset number, it indicates that there is a fault in the circuit before the power partition. At this time, the MCU 25 can stop the soft start and report an alarm to the BMC.

[0057] S507 and MCU25 determine that the soft start is complete, control the soft start circuit 21 to stop working, and control the current-carrying circuit 22 to work.

[0058] In this embodiment, when the bus voltage reaches a preset voltage (e.g., 12V) after a preset time, it indicates that the soft start is successful. At this time, the MCU 25 can determine that the soft start is complete and control the soft start circuit 21 to stop working, for example, by stopping the output of the soft start enable signal through its soft start enable pin (Soft start EN). At the same time, the MCU 25 can control the current-passing circuit 22 to work, for example, by outputting the current-passing circuit enable signal through its current-passing circuit enable pin (pass current EN).

[0059] In some embodiments, S507 can also be replaced by "MCU25 determines that the soft start is complete, controls the soft start circuit 21 to continue working, and controls the current-carrying circuit 22 to work". In this case, the soft start circuit 21 and the current-carrying circuit 22 work simultaneously.

[0060] The S508 and MCU25 acquire the short-circuit detection point voltage corresponding to each of the n inductors to obtain the n short-circuit detection point voltages (L1 sense~Ln sense).

[0061] In this embodiment, after the current-carrying circuit 22 is working, the MCU 25 monitors the short-circuit detection point voltage (i.e., the second sampling voltage) of each of the n inductors in real time or periodically to obtain the short-circuit detection point voltages (L1 sense~Lnsense).

[0062] S509 and MCU25 determine whether the voltage of the i-th short-circuit detection point among n short-circuit detection point voltages is lower than the first voltage threshold, with the initial value of i being 1.

[0063] In this embodiment, after acquiring the voltages of n short-circuit detection points, the MCU25 can determine whether the voltage of the i-th short-circuit detection point is lower than the first voltage threshold, where the initial value of i is 1. If the voltage of the i-th short-circuit detection point is lower than the first voltage threshold, it indicates that the voltage of the i-th short-circuit detection point is undervoltage, and S510 can be executed; otherwise, S512 is executed.

[0064] S510 and MCU25 determine whether the bus voltage Vout sense is lower than the second voltage threshold within a first preset time period.

[0065] In this embodiment, when the voltage at the i-th short-circuit detection point is undervoltage, the MCU25 can determine whether the bus voltage Vout sense is lower than the second voltage threshold within a first preset time period. Since an inductor has the characteristic of impeding current changes, when a short circuit occurs on one side of the inductor's output terminal, the voltage on that side will decrease, but the voltage on its input terminal side will remain constant for a certain period, or change slowly, and the rate of change will be less than the voltage change on the output terminal side of the inductor. Therefore, if the bus voltage Vout sense is lower than the second voltage threshold within the preset time period, it indicates that the bus voltage and the voltage at the i-th short-circuit detection point are both undervoltaged. This situation generally occurs during normal shutdown operations, so S511 can be executed. If the bus voltage Vout sense is not lower than the second voltage threshold within the preset time period, it indicates that the bus voltage is normal, but the voltage at the i-th short-circuit detection point is undervoltaged. This situation generally occurs when the power supply section corresponding to the voltage at the i-th short-circuit detection point is short-circuited, so S513 can be executed. For example, the starting point of the statistical time of the first preset duration can be the time when the voltage of the i-th short-circuit detection point is lower than the second voltage threshold.

[0066] In some embodiments, S509 and S510 can be replaced by simultaneously determining whether the voltage at the i-th short-circuit detection point is lower than a first voltage threshold and whether both the bus voltage and the bus voltage are lower than a second voltage threshold. When the bus voltage is not lower than the second voltage threshold, but the voltage at the i-th short-circuit detection point is lower than the first voltage threshold, then S513 is executed; when the voltage at the i-th short-circuit detection point is lower than the first voltage threshold and the bus voltage is lower than the second voltage threshold, then S511 is executed.

[0067] S511 and MCU25 confirm that the power-off operation is normal, and control circuit 22 to maintain its current state.

[0068] In this embodiment, after determining that the bus voltage is lower than the second voltage threshold within a preset time period, the MCU25 can determine that it is a normal shutdown operation. At this time, it can control the current-carrying circuit 22 to maintain the status quo and execute S512.

[0069] S512, i = i + 1, determine whether i is greater than n.

[0070] In this embodiment, after determining that the voltage of the i-th short-circuit detection point is not lower than the first voltage threshold, or after determining that it is a normal shutdown operation, i can be set to i+1, that is, the voltages of other short-circuit detection points can be detected. At the same time, the relationship between i and n is determined. When i > n, it indicates that the detection of all short-circuit detection point voltages has been completed, and the process can end at this time. When i ≤ n, it indicates that there are still short-circuit detection point voltages that have not been detected, and the process can return to execute S509.

[0071] S513 and MCU25 determine that the power supply zone corresponding to the voltage of the i-th short circuit detection point is short-circuited, control the current-carrying circuit 22 to stop working, and report an alarm.

[0072] In this embodiment, when the bus voltage does not fall below the second voltage threshold within the first preset time period, and the voltage at the i-th short-circuit detection point is lower than the first voltage threshold, the MCU25 can determine that the power supply partition corresponding to the voltage at the i-th short-circuit detection point is short-circuited (i.e., short-circuited to ground), and control the current-carrying circuit 22 to stop working; for example, stopping the output of the current-carrying circuit enable signal through its current-carrying circuit enable pin (pass current EN), and / or outputting a power-off signal through its fast power-off pin (Fast shurtdown), etc. In addition, the MCU25 can also report an alarm to record the power supply partition short circuit corresponding to the voltage at the i-th short-circuit detection point.

[0073] In some embodiments, when the MCU 25 operates simultaneously with the soft-start circuit 21 and the current-carrying circuit 22 in S507, S513 can also be replaced by "the MCU 25 determines that the power supply partition corresponding to the voltage of the i-th short-circuit detection point is short-circuited, controls the current-carrying circuit 22 to stop working, and controls the soft-start circuit 21 to stop working." In this case, the MCU 25 controls the soft-start circuit 21 and the current-carrying circuit 22 to stop working simultaneously.

[0074] Depend on Figure 5 As described above, in this embodiment, the MCU25 can determine whether a short circuit has occurred in the power partition circuit corresponding to an inductor based on a first sampled voltage and a second sampled voltage across the inductor. If a short circuit occurs, the MCU25 controls the current-carrying circuit 22 and the soft-start circuit 21 to stop operating. Specifically, when the second sampled voltage corresponding to the inductor is lower than a first voltage threshold, and the first sampled voltage corresponding to the inductor is higher than the second voltage threshold within a first preset time period, the MCU25 can determine that the power partition circuit electrically connected to the inductor is short-circuited; wherein, the starting point of the first preset time period is when the second sampled voltage is lower than the first voltage threshold.

[0075] The above describes the soft-start process and overcurrent protection process on the motherboard of the electronic device provided in this application embodiment. Next, the arrangement of the soft-start circuit and current-carrying circuit on the motherboard of another electronic device provided in this application embodiment will be described.

[0076] For example, Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the arrangement of the soft-start circuit and the current-carrying circuit on the motherboard of another electronic device is shown. Figure 6 The arrangement of the soft-start circuit and the current-carrying circuit shown is similar to... Figure 2 The main difference between the arrangements of the soft-start circuit and the current-carrying circuit shown is that: Figure 6 Lieutenant General Figure 2The inductor in the diagram has been replaced with a resistor; everything else remains the same. Figure 6 For related content, please refer to the aforementioned Figure 2 The details described in the text will not be repeated here.

[0077] Next, based on Figure 6 The content shown describes the soft start process and overcurrent protection process on the motherboard of electronic devices.

[0078] For example, Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the soft-start process and overcurrent protection process on the motherboard of an electronic device is shown. Among them, Figure 7 S701 to S707 can be found in the foregoing. Figure 5 The descriptions in S501 to S507 are not repeated here. Figure 7 As shown, the soft start process and overcurrent protection process on the motherboard of an electronic device may include the following steps:

[0079] S701: When the mainboard of the electronic device is powered on, the MCU25 initializes.

[0080] S702 and MCU25 control the operation of soft start circuit 21.

[0081] S703 and MCU25 determine whether the bus voltage Vout sense has reached the preset voltage after a preset time.

[0082] S704 and MCU25 determine whether the number of restarts of the soft-start circuit 21 has reached the preset number.

[0083] S705 and MCU25 control the soft-start circuit 21 to restart, record the number of restarts, and return to execute S703.

[0084] S706 and MCU25 abort soft start and report an alarm to BMC.

[0085] S707 and MCU25 determine that the soft start is complete, control the soft start circuit 21 to stop working, and control the current-carrying circuit 22 to work.

[0086] The S708 and MCU25 acquire the short-circuit detection point voltages corresponding to each of the n resistors to obtain the n resistor detection point voltages (R1 sense~Rn sense).

[0087] In this embodiment, after the current-carrying circuit 22 is working, the MCU 25 monitors the short-circuit detection point voltage (i.e., the second sampling voltage) corresponding to each of the n resistors in real time or periodically to obtain the short-circuit detection point voltages (R1 sense~Rnsense).

[0088] S709 and MCU25 determine whether the difference between the bus voltage Vout sense and the voltage of the i-th short-circuit detection point among the n short-circuit detection points is lower than the third voltage threshold, with the initial value of i being 1.

[0089] In this embodiment, after acquiring the voltages of n short-circuit detection points, the MCU25 can determine whether the difference between the bus voltage Voutsense (i.e., the first sampling voltage) and the voltage of the i-th short-circuit detection point (i.e., the second sampling voltage) is higher than the third voltage threshold, where i is initially set to 1. The voltage across the resistor corresponding to the i-th short-circuit detection point voltage is the voltage difference between the bus voltage and the i-th short-circuit detection point voltage, which is U = IR. Here, I is the current flowing through the resistor corresponding to the i-th short-circuit detection point voltage, and R is the resistance value of the resistor corresponding to the i-th short-circuit detection point voltage. When the power supply section corresponding to the i-th short-circuit detection point voltage is not short-circuited, the current flowing through the resistor corresponding to the i-th short-circuit detection point voltage is small. Since the resistance value of the resistor corresponding to the i-th short-circuit detection point voltage remains constant, the voltage difference U is small at this time. When the power supply section corresponding to the voltage of the i-th short-circuit detection point is short-circuited, the current flowing through the resistor corresponding to the voltage of the i-th short-circuit detection point is large. Since the resistance value of the resistor corresponding to the voltage of the i-th short-circuit detection point is constant, the voltage difference U is large at this time. Therefore, if the difference between the bus voltage Voutsense and the voltage of the i-th short-circuit detection point is higher than the third voltage threshold, it indicates that the power supply section corresponding to the voltage of the i-th short-circuit detection point is short-circuited, and S712 can be executed; otherwise, S710 is executed. In some embodiments, the third voltage threshold here is the same as described above. Figure 5 The first voltage threshold and / or the second voltage threshold described herein may be the same or different, and no limitation is made here.

[0090] S710 and MCU25 determine that the power supply zone corresponding to the voltage of the i-th short-circuit detection point is not short-circuited; at the same time, i = i+1.

[0091] In this embodiment, when the difference between the bus voltage Vout sense and the voltage at the i-th short-circuit detection point is not lower than the third voltage threshold, the MCU25 can determine that the power supply section corresponding to the voltage at the i-th short-circuit detection point is not short-circuited; at the same time, i can be set to i+1.

[0092] S711. Determine if i is greater than n.

[0093] In this embodiment, when i > n, it indicates that the detection of all short-circuit detection point voltages has been completed, and the process can end at this time. When i ≤ n, it indicates that there are still short-circuit detection point voltages that have not been detected, and the process can return to execute S709.

[0094] S712 and MCU25 determine that the power supply zone corresponding to the voltage of the i-th short circuit detection point is short-circuited, control the current-carrying circuit 22 to stop working, and report an alarm.

[0095] In this embodiment, when the difference between the bus voltage Vout sense and the voltage at the i-th short-circuit detection point is higher than the third voltage threshold, the MCU25 can determine that the power supply partition corresponding to the voltage at the i-th short-circuit detection point is short-circuited (i.e., short-circuited to ground), and control the current-carrying circuit 22 to stop working; for example, stopping the output of the current-carrying circuit enable signal through its current-carrying circuit enable pin (pass current EN), and / or, outputting a power-off signal through its fast power-off pin (Fast shurt down), etc. In addition, the MCU25 can also report an alarm to record the power supply partition short circuit corresponding to the voltage at the i-th short-circuit detection point.

[0096] In some embodiments, when the MCU 25 operates simultaneously with the soft-start circuit 21 and the current-carrying circuit 22 in S707, S712 can also be replaced by "the MCU 25 determines that the power supply partition corresponding to the voltage of the i-th short-circuit detection point is short-circuited, controls the current-carrying circuit 22 to stop working, and controls the soft-start circuit 21 to stop working." In this case, the MCU 25 controls the soft-start circuit 21 and the current-carrying circuit 22 to stop working simultaneously.

[0097] Depend on Figure 7 As described in the description, in this embodiment, the MCU25 can determine that the power partition circuit electrically connected to a resistor is short-circuited when the difference between the first sampled voltage and the second sampled voltage across a resistor is higher than a third voltage threshold.

[0098] The above describes the soft-start process and overcurrent protection process on the motherboard of another electronic device provided in this application embodiment. Next, the arrangement of the soft-start circuit and current-carrying circuit on the motherboard of yet another electronic device provided in this application embodiment will be described.

[0099] For example, Figure 8 This diagram shows the arrangement of the soft-start circuit and current-carrying circuit on the motherboard of another electronic device. Figure 8 The arrangement of the soft-start circuit and the current-carrying circuit shown is similar to... Figure 2 and Figure 6 The main difference between the arrangements of the soft-start circuit and the current-carrying circuit shown is that: Figure 8 Lieutenant General Figure 2 Some of the inductors were replaced with resistors, or... Figure 6 Some of the resistors were replaced with inductors, while the rest remained the same. Figure 8 For related content, please refer to the aforementioned Figure 2 and / or Figure 6 The details described in the text will not be repeated here.

[0100] exist Figure 8 In the arrangement of the soft-start circuit and overcurrent circuit shown, the soft-start process and overcurrent protection process on the motherboard of the electronic device can be... Figure 5 and Figure 7 The soft-start process and overcurrent protection process described herein are combined. Specifically, in... Figure 8 For the soft start process, please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 5 The relevant descriptions in [the original text] will not be repeated here. Figure 8 In the context of overcurrent protection, when an inductor is arranged between the power supply zone and the current-carrying circuit 22, please refer to [the relevant documentation]. Figure 5 For a description of the overcurrent protection process, when a resistor is placed between the power supply partition and the current-carrying circuit 22, please refer to [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 7 The relevant description of the overcurrent protection process will not be repeated here.

[0101] In some embodiments, Figure 2 Inductance and Figure 6 The resistors in the above can be replaced with other voltage sampling devices that can perform voltage sampling, and the replaced solutions are still within the protection scope of this application.

[0102] In some embodiments, the foregoing Figure 2 , Figure 6 and Figure 8 The number of both the soft-start circuit 21 and the current-carrying circuit 22 described herein can be greater than one, depending on the actual situation.

[0103] It is understood that the sequence number of each step in the above embodiments does not imply the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application. Furthermore, in some possible implementations, each step in the above embodiments may be selectively executed according to actual circumstances; it may be partially or fully executed, without limitation here. Additionally, all or part of any feature in the above embodiments can be freely and arbitrarily combined without contradiction. The combined technical solutions are also within the scope of this application.

[0104] Based on the methods described in the above embodiments, this application provides an electronic device. The electronic device may include: the aforementioned... Figure 2 , Figure 6 or Figure 8 The motherboard shown is an example. This electronic device can, but is not limited to, be a server.

[0105] It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of this application can be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0106] The method steps in the embodiments of this application can be implemented in hardware or by a processor executing software instructions. The software instructions can consist of corresponding software modules, which can be stored in random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), registers, hard disks, portable hard disks, CD-ROMs, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor, enabling the processor to read information from and write information to the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can reside in an ASIC.

[0107] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted through the computer-readable storage medium. The computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., solid-state disk (SSD)).

[0108] It is understood that the various numerical designations used in the embodiments of this application are merely for descriptive convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application.

Claims

1. A motherboard, characterized in that, include: The circuit consists of a soft-start circuit, a current-carrying circuit, n voltage sampling devices, n power supply partitioning circuits, and a control circuit; where n is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1. The voltage input terminal of the soft-start circuit, the voltage input terminal of the current-carrying circuit, and the output terminal of the DC power supply are electrically connected. The voltage output terminal of the soft-start circuit, the voltage output terminal of the current-carrying circuit, and the first terminal of each of the n voltage sampling devices are electrically connected. The second terminal of each voltage sampling device is electrically connected to the input terminal of a power partition circuit; The first control output terminal of the control circuit is electrically connected to the control input terminal of the soft-start circuit. The second control output terminal of the control circuit is electrically connected to the control input terminal of the current-passing circuit. The n first sampling voltage input terminals of the control circuit are electrically connected to the first terminals of the n voltage sampling devices, respectively. The n second sampling voltage input terminals of the control circuit are electrically connected to the second terminals of the n voltage sampling devices, respectively. The control circuit is used to control the operating state of the soft-start circuit and / or the current-carrying circuit based on the first and second sampling voltages across the n voltage sampling devices. The n voltage sampling devices are inductors and / or resistors; The control circuit is used to: determine at least one power partition circuit short circuit based on the first and second sampling voltages across the n voltage sampling devices, and control the current-carrying circuit and the soft-start circuit to stop working. If the n voltage sampling devices are inductors, the control circuit is configured to: if the second sampling voltage of the target voltage sampling device is lower than the first voltage threshold, and the first sampling voltage of the target voltage sampling device is higher than the second voltage threshold within a first preset time period, determine that the power partition circuit electrically connected to the target voltage sampling device is short-circuited; wherein, the starting point of the first preset time period is when the second sampling voltage is lower than the first voltage threshold. If the n voltage sampling devices are resistors, the control circuit is used to: determine that the power partition circuit electrically connected to the target voltage sampling device is short-circuited if the difference between the first sampling voltage and the second sampling voltage across the target voltage sampling device is higher than the third voltage threshold.

2. The main plate of claim 1, wherein Before the control circuit determines that at least one power partition circuit is short-circuited based on the first and second sampling voltages across the n voltage sampling devices, the control circuit is further configured to: control the soft-start circuit to operate and acquire the first sampling voltage of the n voltage sampling devices; if the first sampling voltage of the n voltage sampling devices reaches a threshold voltage within a preset time period, control the current-carrying circuit to operate.

3. The main plate of claim 2, wherein, The control circuit is also used to: if the first sampling voltage of the n voltage sampling devices reaches the threshold voltage within a preset time period, control the soft start circuit to stop working.

4. The main plate according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that The control circuit is further configured to: if the first sampled voltage is lower than the threshold voltage within a preset time period, control the soft-start circuit to restart.

5. The main plate according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The motherboard also includes a baseboard management controller; the alarm output terminal and reset input terminal of the control circuit are electrically connected to the alarm input terminal and reset signal output terminal of the baseboard management controller.

6. An electronic device, comprising: include: The motherboard as described in any one of claims 1-5.

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