System and method for providing power to electronic device

Abstract

A system and method for providing power to an electronic device are provided. The method includes receiving power having a respective voltage, receiving first standby power having a first standby voltage, directing the power to the electronic device through a respective fuse status indicator, the fuse status indicator selectively connects a respective power input of the monitoring circuit to the electronic device and operates on a first standby power, combines a fuse status signal with a signal indicating the presence of power at the power input of the monitoring circuit to form a primary status signal, the main state signal can be selectively in an operation state or a fault state; and, in response to the main state signal being in the fault state, disconnecting the electronic device from the power supply.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present technology relates to a system and method for power distribution. In particular, a system and method for providing power to electronic devices through a monitored fuse state indicator is disclosed. Background Art

[0002] Data centers often house dozens or hundreds of servers for load sharing and redundancy. Such large-scale server networks consume large amounts of power, which makes power distribution a complex and error-prone task. Any way to monitor power delivery and protect the integrity of a data center's servers and power infrastructure is desirable.

[0003] It is worth noting that in recent years, the development of liquid cooling technology for providing cooling to electrical equipment has also brought additional problems. For example, a fault in the electrical connection of the equipment may cause current to flow in the coolant, causing electrolysis of the coolant. If a short-circuit current occurs, this may put the entire equipment at risk.

[0004] Therefore, a solution for safely distributing power from a power source to electronic devices at lower currents is desirable. Summary of the invention

[0005] The implementations and examples of the present technology were developed based on the developers' recognition of the shortcomings of the prior art.

[0006] In a first broad aspect of the present technology, a method for providing power to an electronic device is provided. The method includes: receiving power with a corresponding voltage from a power source and at a monitoring circuit, the monitoring circuit being electrically connected to the electronic device, the power being received at a corresponding power input terminal of the monitoring circuit; receiving a first standby power with a first standby voltage at a standby power input terminal of the monitoring circuit; directing power to the electronic device through a corresponding fuse state indicator of the monitoring circuit by the monitoring circuit, the fuse state indicator selectively connecting the corresponding power input terminal to the electronic device and operating on the first standby power, the fuse state indicator being configured to generate a fuse state signal indicating the state of the fuse, the fuse state signal being selectively capable of being an operating state or a fault state; combining the fuse state signal with a signal indicating the presence of power at the power input terminal of the monitoring circuit by a logic combiner of the monitoring circuit, thereby forming a main state signal being capable of being selectively capable of being an operating state or a fault state; in response to the main state signal being a fault state: disconnecting the electronic device from the power source.

[0007] Broadly speaking, the monitoring circuit relies on a standby power supply that operates the fuse state indicator and monitors the state of the fuse once the electronic device is powered on. Thus, the monitoring circuit can enable the following situations to be distinguished: a situation where the electronic device is not powered, and a situation where one or more fuses are blown.

[0008] In some non-limiting embodiments, the logic combiner is a first logic combiner, the power is a plurality of power, each power is received at a corresponding power input of the monitoring circuit, and the power is directed to the electronic device through a corresponding fuse state indicator of the monitoring circuit, including: the monitoring circuit directs the plurality of power to the electronic device through a plurality of corresponding fuse state indicators of the monitoring circuit, each fuse state indicator selectively connects a corresponding one of the plurality of power inputs to the electronic device and operates on a first standby power, and each fuse assembly is configured to generate a corresponding fuse state signal. The method also includes: before combining the fuse state signal with the power, combining the state signals of the plurality of fuse state indicators through a second logic combiner of the monitoring circuit to form a combined fuse state signal, the first logic combiner being configured to combine the combined fuse state signal with the plurality of power to obtain a main state signal.

[0009] In some non-limiting implementations, the first logic combiner has a first characteristic time, during which, when an electrical connection between the power supply and the electronic device is established, the main state of the electronic device is set to an operating state, and the second logic combiner has a second characteristic time, during which, when an electrical connection between the power supply and the electronic device is established, the state of each fuse state indicator is set to an operating state, and the second characteristic time is greater than the first characteristic time.

[0010] In some non-limiting embodiments, the second characteristic time is 5 to 15 times the first characteristic time.

[0011] In some non-limiting embodiments, the electronic device is a server in a data center, and the power supply is electrically connected to a power distribution unit for transmitting power to the monitoring circuit.

[0012] In some non-limiting embodiments, the first standby voltage is 12 Vsb.

[0013] In some non-limiting implementations, the method further includes: after receiving the first standby power, converting the first standby power into second standby power by a conversion module of the monitoring circuit.

[0014] In some non-limiting embodiments, the second standby voltage is 3.3 Vsb.

[0015] In some non-limiting embodiments, the latch is a D-type latch.

[0016] In some non-limiting implementations, the method further includes: in response to the main state signal being in a fault state, operating a latch to maintain the fault state of the main state signal.

[0017] In a second broad aspect of the present technology, a system for providing power to an electronic device is provided. The system includes: a power input terminal configured to receive power having a corresponding voltage from a power source; a standby power input terminal configured to receive a first standby power having a first standby voltage from a power source; a fuse state indicator configured to receive a corresponding power from a corresponding power input terminal and output the power to an electronic device, the fuse state indicator relying on the first standby power to operate, the fuse state indicator configured to generate a fuse state signal indicating the state of the fuse, the fuse state signal being selectively capable of being an operating state or a fault state; a logic combiner configured to combine the fuse state signal with a signal indicating the presence of power at the power input terminal, the logic combiner configured to generate a main state signal, the main state signal being selectively capable of being an operating state or a fault state; and a controller. The controller disconnects the electronic device from the power source in response to the main state signal being a fault state.

[0018] In some non-limiting embodiments, the controller further operates the latch to maintain the fault state of the main state signal in response to the main state signal being in the fault state.

[0019] In some non-limiting embodiments, the logic combiner is a first logic combiner, and the system also includes: a plurality of power input terminals, each power input terminal is configured to receive corresponding power with a corresponding voltage from a power supply; a plurality of fuse state indicators, each fuse state indicator is configured to receive corresponding power from a corresponding one of the power input terminals and output the power to an electronic device, a second logic combiner, the second logic combiner is configured to combine the state signals of the plurality of fuse state indicators to form a combined fuse state signal, and the first logic combiner is configured to combine the combined fuse state signal with the plurality of power to obtain a main state signal.

[0020] In some non-limiting implementations, the first logic combiner has a first characteristic time, during which, when an electrical connection between the power supply and the electronic device is established, the main state of the electronic device is set to an operating state, and the second logic combiner has a second characteristic time, during which, when an electrical connection between the power supply and the electronic device is established, the state of each fuse state indicator is set to an operating state, and the second characteristic time is greater than the first characteristic time.

[0021] In some non-limiting embodiments, the first standby voltage is 12 Vsb.

[0022] In some non-limiting implementations, the system further includes a conversion module configured to convert the first standby power into the second standby power after receiving the first standby power.

[0023] In some non-limiting embodiments, the second standby voltage is 3.3 Vsb.

[0024] In some non-limiting embodiments, the latch is a D-type latch.

[0025] In some non-limiting embodiments, the system is mounted on a support plate of the electronic device.

[0026] In some non-limiting embodiments, the electronic device is a server in a data center, and the power supply is electrically connected to a power distribution unit for transmitting power to the monitoring circuit.

[0027] In the context of this specification, a "server" is a computer program running on appropriate hardware that is capable of receiving requests (e.g., from client devices) over a network and executing those requests or causing those requests to be executed. The hardware can be a physical computer or a physical computer system, but neither is required for the purposes of this technology. The use of the expression "server" in this context does not mean that every task (e.g., received instruction or request) or any particular task will be received, executed, or caused to be executed by the same server (i.e., the same software and / or hardware); it means that any number of software elements or hardware devices may be involved in receiving / sending, executing, or causing to be executed any task or request, or the consequences of any task or request; and all of these software and hardware may be one server or multiple servers, both of which are included in the expression "at least one server."

[0028] In the context of this specification, a "database" refers to any structured collection of data, regardless of its specific structure, database management software, or computer hardware that stores, implements, or otherwise makes the data available for use. A database may reside on the same hardware as the processes that store or use the information stored in the database, or it may reside on separate hardware, such as a dedicated server or multiple servers.

[0029] In the context of this specification, the expression "information" includes information of any nature or kind that can be stored in a database. Thus, information includes, but is not limited to, audiovisual works (images, films, sound recordings, presentations, etc.), data (location data, numerical data, etc.), texts (opinions, comments, questions, messages, etc.), documents, spreadsheets, glossaries, etc.

[0030] In the context of this specification, the expression "means" is intended to include software (applicable to a particular hardware environment) that is necessary and sufficient to implement the particular function referenced.

[0031] In the context of this specification, the expression "computer-usable information storage medium" is intended to include media of any nature and kind, including RAM, ROM, disks (CD-ROM, DVD, floppy disks, hard drives, etc.), USB keys, solid-state drives, tape drives, etc.

[0032] In the context of this specification, unless expressly specified otherwise, an "indication" of an information element may be the information element itself, or may be a pointer, reference, link, or other indirect mechanism that enables the recipient of the indication to locate a network, memory, database, or other computer-readable medium location from which the information element may be retrieved. For example, an indication of a document may include the document itself (i.e., its contents), or may be a unique document descriptor that identifies a data object relative to a particular object storage device, or may be some other means of directing the recipient of the indication to a network location, memory address, database table, or other location from which the data object may be accessed. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the degree of precision required for such indications depends on the degree of any prior understanding of the interpretation of the information exchanged between the sender and the recipient of the indication. For example, if it is understood before the sender and the recipient communicate that the indication of an information element will take the form of a database key to an entry in a particular table of a predetermined database containing the information element, then sending the database key is all that is required to effectively communicate the information element to the recipient, even though the information element itself is not transmitted between the sender and the recipient of the indication.

[0033] In the context of this specification, the words "first", "second", "third", etc. are used only as adjectives to distinguish the nouns they modify, rather than to describe any specific relationship between these nouns. Thus, for example, it should be understood that the use of the terms "first server" and "third server" is not intended to imply any specific order, type, chronological order, hierarchy, or ranking (for example) of / between servers, nor is their use (per se) intended to imply that any "second server" necessarily exists in any given case. In addition, as discussed in other contexts herein, references to "first" and "second" elements do not exclude that the two elements are the same actual real-world elements. Thus, for example, in some cases, the "first" server and the "second" server may be the same software and / or hardware, and in other cases, they may be different software and / or hardware.

[0034] The embodiments and examples of the present technology each have at least one of the above-mentioned purposes and / or aspects, but not necessarily all of them. It should be understood that some aspects of the present technology generated to achieve the above-mentioned purpose may not meet the purpose, and / or may meet other purposes not specifically described herein.

[0035] In some cases, examples of modifications that are considered helpful to the present technology may also be described. This is done only to aid understanding and, again, is not intended to limit the scope of the present technology or to describe its boundaries. These modifications are not an exhaustive list, and those skilled in the art may make other modifications while still being within the scope of the present technology. In addition, if examples of modifications are not described, it should not be interpreted that modifications are impossible and / or that what is described is the only way to implement that element of the present technology.

[0036] In addition, all statements describing the principles, aspects, and implementations of the present technology and specific examples thereof herein are intended to encompass structural and functional equivalents thereof, whether currently known or developed in the future. Thus, for example, those skilled in the art will recognize that any block diagram herein represents a conceptual view of an illustrative circuit system that embodies the principles of the present technology. Similarly, it will be recognized that any flow chart, flow diagram, state transition diagram, pseudocode, etc. represent various processes that can be substantially represented in a non-transitory computer-readable medium and executed by a computer or processor, whether or not such a computer or processor is explicitly shown.

[0037] The functions of the various elements shown in the figure, including any functional blocks marked as "processors" or "processing units", can be provided by using dedicated hardware and hardware capable of executing software in association with appropriate software. When provided by a processor, the functions can be provided by a single dedicated processor, a single shared processor, or multiple separate processors, some of which can be shared. In some examples of the present technology, the processor can be a general-purpose processor (such as a central processing unit (CPU)) or a processor dedicated to a specific purpose (such as a digital signal processor (DSP)). In addition, the explicit use of the term "processor" should not be interpreted as referring only to hardware capable of executing software, and may implicitly include, but is not limited to, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), read-only memories (ROMs), random access memories (RAMs), and non-volatile memories for storing software. Other conventional and / or custom hardware may also be included.

[0038] Software modules, or simply modules implied as software, may be represented herein as any combination of flow chart elements or other elements indicating the execution of process steps and / or textual descriptions. Such modules may be executed by hardware as explicitly or implicitly shown. Furthermore, it should be understood that a module may include, for example, but not limited to, computer program logic, computer program instructions, software, stacks, firmware, hardware circuitry, or combinations thereof that provide the desired capabilities.

[0039] Additional and / or alternative features, aspects, and advantages of implementations and examples of the present technology will become apparent from the following description, drawings, and appended claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] For a better understanding of the present technology and other aspects and further features thereof, reference is made to the following description used in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0041] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a monitoring circuit for distributing power to a load in accordance with a non-limiting implementation of the present technology;

[0042] Figure 2 According to a non-limiting implementation of the present technology Figure 1 Electrical diagram of the fuse condition indicator for the monitoring circuit;

[0043] Figure 3 According to a non-limiting implementation of the present technology Figure 1 An electrical diagram of the logic combiner of the monitoring circuit;

[0044] Figure 4 According to a non-limiting implementation of the present technology Figure 1 An electrical diagram of the logic gates of the monitoring circuit;

[0045] Figure 5 According to a non-limiting implementation of the present technology Figure 1 an electrical diagram of an additional logic combiner of the monitoring circuit;

[0046] Figure 6 According to a non-limiting implementation of the present technology Figure 1 A timing diagram of a signal processed by a monitoring circuit;

[0047] Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating the operation of a method of providing power to an electronic device according to a non-limiting implementation of the present technology; and

[0048] Figure 8 is a block diagram of a controller according to a non-limiting implementation of the present technology.

[0049] It should also be noted that the accompanying drawings are not drawn to scale unless explicitly stated otherwise herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] The examples and conditional language stated herein are primarily intended to help the reader understand the principles of the present technology, rather than limiting its scope to these specifically stated examples and conditions. It is to be understood that a person skilled in the art may design various arrangements that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, still embody the principles of the present technology.

[0051] In addition, to facilitate understanding, the following description may describe a relatively simplified implementation of the present technology. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various implementations of the present technology may have greater complexity.

[0052] With this basic knowledge in place, we will now consider some non-limiting examples to illustrate various implementations of aspects of the present technology.

[0053] Figure 1 1 is a schematic diagram of a monitoring circuit 100 for distributing power from a power supply 10 to an electronic device 150. The power supply 10 may be a power distribution unit (PDU) that provides one or more power supplies having different voltages. For example, the power supply 10 may provide a first power of 12V, a second power of 5V, a third power of 3.3V, and a 12V standby or "12V sb ”The fourth electricity.

[0054] In this implementation, the electronic device 150 is a server 150 in a data center. In alternative implementations of the present technology, the load may be any other type of electronic device. The server 150 may be implemented as a conventional computer server. In an example of an implementation of the present technology, the server 150 may be implemented as a server running Microsoft TMWindows Server TM Dell operating system TM PowerEdge TM Server. Needless to say, server 150 can be implemented as any other suitable hardware, software and / or firmware, or a combination thereof. Server 150 can be equipped with air cooling equipment, water cooling equipment, or any other suitable cooling equipment to provide cooling to the electronic components of server 150.

[0055] The monitoring circuit 100 includes a plurality of power input terminals 1201, 1202 ( Figure 1 The monitoring circuit 100 directs power to the electronic components 1521, 1522 of the server 150. To this end, the monitoring circuit includes a local controller 110 and a plurality of fuse state indicators 1221, 1222 connected to the local controller 110 in a communicative manner. In some embodiments, the monitoring circuit 100 includes eight (8) power input terminals and eight (8) corresponding fuse state indicators. To simplify Figure 1 , only two of which are shown. It should be noted that two or more power inputs 120 may receive the same power (e.g., 12V) from power supply 10. Some of the fuse state indicators may not be electrically connected to the electronic components of server 150 and may be used to assess whether the power supply is providing the required power.

[0056] Broadly speaking, each fuse state indicator 122 includes a fuse, and the state of the fuse can be a "running" state or a "fault" state. The state of the fuse of each fuse state indicator 122 is actively monitored by the local controller, and the local controller can disconnect the server 150 from the power supply 10 in response to the fuse being in a fault state to prevent any additional damage to the server 150 and / or the power supply 10 and other devices electrically connected thereto. In the event of a short circuit in another server electrically connected to the power supply 10, it is important that the power supply 10 is not overloaded and can continue to supply power to other servers (i.e., to avoid fault propagation).

[0057] In contrast to some other techniques that rely on fuses, the monitoring circuit 100 can actively detect which fuse is in a faulty state. The other techniques typically measure the voltage at the output of the fuse to detect the state of the fuse. However, in the case where no voltage is measured at the output of the fuse, there may still be confusion: whether the fuse is in a faulty state or no power is flowing. In both cases, this may produce an infinite reaction cycle, thereby preventing current from flowing through the fuse to the load to be powered.

[0058] The monitoring circuit also receives a standby power input 120 from the power supply 10sb As will be described in more detail later in this document, the standby power is used to enable the local controller 110 to monitor the fuse status indicators 1221, 1222. In this implementation, the standby power is 12V sb , but the aspect is not limited thereto.

[0059] Figure 2 According to a non-limiting implementation of the present technology Figure 1 The fuse status indicator 122 of the monitoring circuit 100 i Electrical diagram of the fuse status indicator 122 i Including fuse 210 i , fuse 210 i Electrically connected to a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) 220 used as an electrical switching device i .

[0060] More specifically, MOSFET 220 i The input terminal 1 is electrically connected to the fuse 210 i And the input terminal 3 is electrically connected to 3V3 sb In this implementation, the monitoring circuit includes a voltage converter that converts 12V sb The voltage of the standby power is converted to 3.3V sb This aspect is not limited thereto, and other voltage values ​​may also be used to monitor the standby power used by the circuit 100.

[0061] In use, MOSFET 220 i Generate indication fuse 210 i Status output signal 230 i , or "status signal" 230 i More specifically, when fuse 210 i Fuse or based on the fuse status indicator 122 i The corresponding power input terminal 120 i When the power received at the predetermined value, the state signal 230 i 3V3 sb Therefore, MOSFET 220 i Relying on standby power to provide indication fuse 210 i Status signal 230 i .

[0062] Figure 31 is an electrical diagram of a logic combiner 112 of a monitoring circuit 100 according to a non-limiting implementation of the present invention. The logic combiner 112 receives a state signal from each of the fuse state indicators and includes a NAND gate 310 for combining the output signals thereof. In use, the gate 310 is electrically connected to a ground (GND) and a 3.3V sb Thus, gate 310 generates signal 312 from the state signal.

[0063] In some implementations, the logic combiner 112 further includes a resistor-capacitor circuit (RC circuit) 314, the RC circuit 314 includes a resistor R27 and a capacitor C17 and an AND gate 316, and the AND gate 316 connects the RC circuit 314 and the 3.3V sb The inlet receives signal 312. In use, gate 316 generates a combined fuse state signal 318, represented as As will be described in greater detail below, when an electrical connection is established between the power supply 10 and the server 150, the RC circuit 314 may inhibit or delay the generation of the combined fuse state signal 318 during the loading time of the capacitor C17.

[0064] Figure 4 1 is an electrical diagram of the logic gates of the logic combiner 112 according to non-limiting implementations of the present technology. In these implementations, the logic combiner 112 includes a NAND gate 410, which receives the combined fuse state signal 318 and the state signal of the fuse state indicator, and the state signal of the fuse state indicator indicates that there is 12V power at the power input end of the monitoring circuit 100. The voltage value of this power (i.e., 12V) is non-limiting. One of the functions of the gate 410 is to check that all fuses 210 are not blown, and to check the presence of 12V power, which can be used to power some electronic components 152 of the server 150. In other words, the state signal "12V img" is a state signal generated by one of the fuse state indicators. In some implementations, when the fuse of the fuse state indicator is not blown, the state signal "12Vimg" is 12V, and when the fuse is blown, the state signal "12V img" is 3.3V. Gate 410 therefore generates a conditioned combined fuse state signal 412 .

[0065] Figure 5is an electrical diagram of a logic combiner 114 of a monitoring circuit 100 according to a non-limiting implementation of the present technology. The logic combiner 114 includes a latch 514. In this implementation, the latch 514 is a D-latch that receives the adjusted combined fuse state signal 412 from the gate 410 as a clock pulse (CP) input (see input terminal 3), and receives the state signal "12V img" as a data (D) input. Therefore, the output signal of the gate 410 is used to trigger the latching of the state signal "12V img" into the latch. The logic combiner 114 also includes an RC circuit 510 combined with an AND gate 512 to generate a read enable (RD) input for the latch 514. Therefore, the RC circuit 510 and the gate 512 are used to generate a control signal that enables or disables the reading of data into the latch 514. The latch 514 also receives a 3.3V sb The signal serves as a “set-disable” input that serves as a control signal to set or disable (rest) latch 514 .

[0066] Broadly speaking, the logic combiner 114 combines the adjusted combined fuse state signal 412 with a signal indicating the presence of power at the power input of the monitoring circuit to form a main state signal 516 "srvOk", which can be selectively an operational state (i.e., a high state) or a fault state (i.e., a low state). Return to Reference Figure 1 The monitoring circuit 100 further includes a switching mechanism 115, which can disconnect the server 150 from the power supply 10 when the srvOk signal is in a fault state (i.e., a fault is detected in one of the fuses 210). For example, the switching mechanism 115 can include a plurality of switches that can be actuated in parallel to disconnect the server 150 from the power supply 10.

[0067] In some implementations, the srvOK signal must be high in order for the monitoring circuit 100 to distribute power from the power supply to the server 150. In the event of a fault (e.g., the fuse 210 is disconnected), the srvOK signal must switch to a low state. However, when the server 150 is electrically connected to the monitoring circuit 100 and the power supply 10, since the monitoring circuit 100 is not powered, the srvOK signal can only be in a low state, which may cause problems during the insertion of the server 150 (e.g., preventing the server from receiving power supply from the power supply 10).

[0068] The latch 514 is used to use the RC circuit 510 at its RD input to force the srvOK signal to a high state for a short time (indicated as T1) so that the inserted server 150 can receive power and start. Therefore, when the server 150 is inserted, the monitoring circuit 100 is supplied with 12Vsb Standby power, which enables fuse state indicator 122 to operate and monitor the state of fuse 210.

[0069] In this embodiment, the detection of the state of the fuse 210 is delayed by a time T2, where T2>T1, to ensure that in the event of an insertion failure of the server 150, the detection is performed correctly and is not changed by the state of the latch 514. It can be said that the latch 514 acts as a memory and stores the detection state to indicate a failure of the fuse 210.

[0070] Figure 6 is a time diagram of the voltage of a signal processed by the monitoring circuit 100 according to a non-limiting implementation of the present technology.

[0071] Graph 610 shows the time evolution of 3.3 Vsb used to operate components of monitoring circuit 100 (e.g., logic combiners 112, 114). Figure 6 In the illustrative example of FIG. 1 , the monitoring circuit 100 is electrically connected to the power supply 10 at t=t0. Therefore, the power supply 10 provides the standby power 12V at t=t0. sb , making 3.3V sb The signal goes up at that time.

[0072] Graph 620 shows the time evolution of the voltage at the input 5 of gate 316 of logic combiner 112 (i.e., the output of RC circuit 314). The characteristic time of RC circuit 314 is denoted by τ1. In this illustrative example, τ1 is about 10 ms. It can be said that RC circuit 314 thus delays the establishment of the output of gate 316. As a result, The signal is delayed and rises at t=t1, as shown in graph 630, which in turn causes the srvOk signal to rise at t=t1.

[0073] In response to the electrical connection of the monitoring circuit 100 to the power supply 10 at t=t0, the inlet 2 of the gate 512 of the logic combiner 114 receives the signal. The time evolution of the signal is shown in the graph 640. The characteristic time of the RC circuit 510 is recorded as τ2. In this illustrative example, τ2 is about 7ms. It can be said that the RC circuit 510 thus delays the establishment of the output of the gate 512.

[0074] In this example, one of the fuses 210 fails at t=t2, as shown in graph 630. The signal drops to zero, which in turn causes the srvOk signal to drop to zero at t=t2. In response, the monitoring circuit 100 actuates the switching mechanism 115 to disconnect the server 150 from the power source 10. As shown in the graph 660, the voltage at the power input terminal 120 of the monitoring circuit 100 is therefore zero at t=t3 (i.e., shortly after t2).

[0075] Graph 620 shows the time evolution of the voltage at the clock pulse (CP) input of latch 514, showing the rising clock edge at t=t3 to store the detection state, indicating that srvOk is a fault state.

[0076] Figure 7 700 is a flowchart of a method 700 for providing power to an electronic device (e.g., server 150) according to some examples of the present technology. In one or more aspects, method 700 or one or more steps thereof may be performed by a processor or computer system, in this example by local controller 110. Method 700 or one or more steps thereof may be embodied as computer executable instructions, which are stored in a computer readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory mass storage device), loaded into a memory, and executed by a CPU. Some steps or portions of the steps in the flowchart may be omitted or changed in order.

[0077] The method 700 first receives power having a corresponding voltage from a power source and a monitoring circuit electrically connected to an electronic device at operation 710, the power being received at a corresponding power input terminal of the monitoring circuit. For example, but not limited to, the electronic device may be a server in a data center, and the power source may be electrically connected to a power distribution unit to transmit power to the monitoring circuit.

[0078] The method 700 continues with receiving a first standby power having a first standby voltage at a standby power input terminal of the monitoring circuit at operation 720. The first standby voltage may be, for example, 12V. sb .

[0079] The method 700 continues in operation 730, where the monitoring circuit directs power to the electronic device through a corresponding fuse state indicator of the monitoring circuit. In use, the fuse state indicator selectively connects the corresponding power input to the electronic device and operates on the first standby power. The fuse state indicator generates a fuse state signal indicating the state of the fuse, and the fuse state signal can selectively be an operating state or a fault state.

[0080] In some implementations, the method 700 may further include: after receiving the first standby power, the monitoring circuit converts the first standby power into the second standby power. For example, the fuse state indicator may rely on the 12V sb 3.3V generated by voltage conversion sb .

[0081] Method 700 continues at operation 740 by combining the fuse state signal with a signal indicating the presence of power at a power input of the monitoring circuit by a logic combiner of the monitoring circuit (e.g., logic combiner 114) to form a main state signal that can be selectively an operating state or a fault state.

[0082] In some implementations, the logic combiner is a first logic combiner, the power is a plurality of power, and each power is received at a corresponding power input of the monitoring circuit. The monitoring circuit can direct the plurality of power to the electronic device through a plurality of corresponding fuse state indicators of the monitoring circuit, each fuse state indicator selectively connects a corresponding one of the plurality of power inputs to the electronic device and operates on the first standby power, and each fuse assembly is configured to generate a corresponding fuse state signal.

[0083] In these implementations, method 700 also includes combining the status signals of multiple fuse state indicators through a second logic combiner (e.g., logic combiner 112) of the monitoring circuit to form a combined fuse state signal, and the first logic combiner is configured to combine the combined fuse state signal with multiple power supplies to obtain a main state signal.

[0084] In these implementations, the first logic combiner has a first characteristic time, during which, when the electrical connection between the power supply and the electronic device is established, the main state of the electronic device is set to the operating state. The second logic combiner has a second characteristic time, during which, when the electrical connection between the power supply and the electronic device is established, the state of each fuse state indicator is set to the operating state, and the second characteristic time is greater than the first characteristic time. For example, the second characteristic time can be between 5 and 15 times the first characteristic time.

[0085] The method 700 continues at operation 750 to evaluate whether the main status signal is in a fault state. In response to the main status signal being in a fault state, the method 700 includes operating a latch at sub-operation 752 to maintain the fault state of the main status signal, and disconnecting the electronic device from the power supply at sub-operation 754. For example, the latch can be a D-type latch. Other types of latches (e.g., SR latches, JK latches, or any other suitable latches) are contemplated alternative implementations.

[0086] Although the above implementation has been described and illustrated with reference to specific steps performed in a specific order, it is to be understood that these steps may be combined, subdivided, or reordered without departing from the teachings of the present technology. At least some steps may be performed in parallel or in series. Therefore, the order and grouping of steps are not limitations of the present technology.

[0087] As an example, Figure 8 8 is a schematic block diagram of a local controller 110 of a monitoring circuit 100 according to an example of the present technology. The local controller 110 includes a processor or multiple cooperating processors (represented as a processor 810 for simplicity), a memory device or multiple memory devices (represented as a memory device 830 for simplicity), and an input / output interface 820 that allows the local controller 110 to communicate with other components of the monitoring circuit 100 and / or other components that communicate with the monitoring circuit 100 (e.g., the fuse state indicator 120, the power supply 10, and the server 150). The processor 810 is operably connected to the memory device 830 and the input / output interface 820. The memory device 830 includes a memory for storing parameters 834. The memory device 830 may include a non-transitory computer readable medium for storing code instructions 832 executable by the processor 810 to allow the local controller 110 to perform various tasks assigned to the local controller 110 in the method 700.

[0088] The local controller 110 is operably connected to the fuse state indicator 120, the power supply 10, and the server 150 via the input / output interface 920. The local controller 110 executes the code instructions 832 stored in the memory device 830 to implement the various functions described above that may exist in a specific example. Figure 8 A non-limiting example is shown in which a local controller 110 coordinates the operation of the monitoring circuit 100. This particular example is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure, but is provided for illustration purposes.

[0089] It should be noted that in this implementation, the local controller 110 may be directly implemented on the server 150 .

[0090] It is to be understood that the operation and functionality of the monitoring circuit 100, its components and related processes may be implemented by any one or more of hardware-based elements, software-based elements and firmware-based elements. Such operational alternatives do not limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.

[0091] It should be clearly understood that not all technical effects mentioned in this article need to be reflected in every example of this technology.

[0092] Modifications and improvements to the above implementation of the present technology will be obvious to those skilled in the art. The above description is intended to be exemplary rather than limiting. Therefore, the scope of the present technology is limited only by the scope of the attached claims.

Claims

1. A method (700) for providing power to an electronic device (150), the method comprising: receiving power having a corresponding voltage from a power source and at a monitoring circuit (100), the monitoring circuit (100) being electrically connected to the electronic device (150), the power being received at a corresponding power input terminal of the monitoring circuit (100); At the standby power input terminal (120) of the monitoring circuit (100) sb ) receives a first standby power having a first standby voltage; The monitoring circuit (100) directs power to the electronic device (150) through a corresponding fuse state indicator (122) of the monitoring circuit (100); the fuse state indicator (122) selectively connects a corresponding power input terminal to the electronic device (150) and operates on the first standby power; the fuse state indicator (122) is configured to generate a fuse state signal indicating a state of the fuse, and the fuse state signal can selectively be an operating state or a fault state; combining the fuse state signal with a signal indicating the presence of power at the power input of the monitoring circuit (100) by a logic combiner (114) of the monitoring circuit (100) to form a main state signal that can selectively be an operating state or a fault state; In response to the main status signal being a fault state: The electronic device (150) is disconnected from the power source (10).

2. The method (700) of claim 1, wherein: The logic combiner (112) is a first logic combiner, the power is a plurality of power, each power is received at a corresponding power input terminal of the monitoring circuit (100), and Directing the power to the electronic device (150) through the corresponding fuse state indicator (122) of the monitoring circuit (100) includes: The monitoring circuit (100) directs the plurality of powers to the electronic device (150) through a plurality of corresponding fuse state indicators (122) of the monitoring circuit (100), each fuse state indicator (122) selectively connects a corresponding one of the plurality of power input terminals to the electronic device (150) and operates on a first standby power, each fuse assembly being configured to generate a corresponding fuse state signal, The method further includes, before combining the fuse state signal with the power, The status signals of the multiple fuse state indicators (122) are combined by the second logic combiner (112) of the monitoring circuit (100) to form a combined fuse state signal, and the first logic combiner (114) is configured to combine the combined fuse state signal with the multiple power signals to obtain the main state signal.

3. The method (700) of claim 2, wherein: The first logic combiner (114) has a first characteristic time, during which, when an electrical connection is established between the power supply (10) and the electronic device (150), the main state of the electronic device (150) is set to an operating state, and the second logic combiner (112) has a second characteristic time, during which, when an electrical connection is established between the power supply (10) and the electronic device (150), the state of each fuse state indicator (122) is set to an operating state, and the second characteristic time is greater than the first characteristic time.

4. The method (700) of claim 3, wherein: The second characteristic time is 5 to 15 times the first characteristic time.

5. The method (700) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The electronic device (150) is a server in a data center, and The power source (10) is electrically connected to a power distribution unit for transmitting power to the monitoring circuit (100).

6. The method (700) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The first standby voltage is 12Vsb.

7. The method (700) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising: After receiving the first standby power, The first standby power is converted into second standby power by a conversion module of the monitoring circuit (100).

8. The method (700) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising: In response to the main state signal being in a fault state, a latch (514) is operated to maintain the fault state of the main state signal.

9. A system (100) for providing power to an electronic device (150), the system comprising: a power input terminal configured to receive power having a corresponding voltage from a power source (10); Standby power input terminal (120 sb ), the standby power input terminal (120 sb ) is configured to receive a first standby power having a first standby voltage from the power source (10); A fuse state indicator (122), the fuse state indicator (122) being configured to receive corresponding power from a corresponding power input terminal and output the power to the electronic device (150), the fuse state indicator (122) being operated by relying on the first standby power, the fuse state indicator (122) being configured to generate a fuse state signal indicating a state of a fuse, the fuse state signal being selectively capable of being an operating state or a fault state; a logic combiner (114) configured to combine the fuse state signal with a signal indicating the presence of power at the power input, the logic combiner (114) configured to generate a main state signal, the main state signal being selectively capable of being an operating state or a fault state; as well as A controller (800), the controller (800) being configured to: The electronic device (150) is disconnected from the power source (10).

10. The system (100) according to claim 9, wherein: The logic combiner is a first logic combiner, and the system (100) further comprises: a plurality of power input terminals, each power input terminal being configured to receive corresponding power having a corresponding voltage from the power source (10); a plurality of fuse state indicators (122), each fuse state indicator (122) being configured to receive a corresponding power from a corresponding one of the power input terminals and output the power to the electronic device (150), A second logic combiner (112), the second logic combiner (112) is configured to combine the status signals of the plurality of fuse state indicators (122) to form a combined fuse state signal, and the first logic combiner is configured to combine the combined fuse state signal with the plurality of power signals to obtain the main state signal.

11. The system (100) according to claim 10, wherein: The first logic combiner (114) has a first characteristic time, during which, when an electrical connection between the power source (10) and the electronic device (150) is established, the main state of the electronic device (150) is set to an operating state, and The second logic combiner has a second characteristic time, during which, when an electrical connection is established between the power supply (10) and the electronic device (150), the state of each fuse state indicator (122) is set to an operating state, and the second characteristic time is greater than the first characteristic time.

12. The system (100) according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the first standby voltage is 12 Vsb.

13. The system (100) according to any one of claims 9 to 12, further comprising: After receiving the first standby power, The first standby power is converted into second standby power by a conversion module of the monitoring circuit (100).

14. The system (100) according to any one of claims 9 to 13, wherein: The controller (800) is further configured to: in response to the main state signal being in a fault state, enable the latch to maintain the fault state of the main state signal.

15. The system (100) according to any one of claims 9 to 14, wherein: The electronic device (150) is a server in a data center, and The power source (10) is electrically connected to a power distribution unit for transmitting power to the monitoring circuit (100).

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