BIOS-Controlled Voltage Selection for Serial Ports
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current serial communication ports do not provide power efficiently, leading to redundancy in power circuitry, especially in systems with multiple integrated communication ports, which increases circuit size and cost without maintaining performance or stability.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a voltage selection unit and power unit that toggle between different voltage levels based on BIOS input, allowing power to be output to specific pins of the serial communication port, reducing redundancy by leveraging shared serial power circuitry for each power state.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If separate power circuitry is provided for each power state (0V, 5V, and 12V) of the serial communication port, then the port can provide power to peripheral devices, but redundancy is created within the serial power communication port circuitry, increasing circuit size and cost
Solution Approach 1:
A single power circuit is designed to provide multiple voltage outputs (0V, 5V, and 12V) through voltage selection logic controlled by the BIOS. This universal power circuit replaces separate dedicated circuitry for each voltage level, enabling the same hardware to adapt to different power requirements based on the connected peripheral device, thereby reducing redundancy and circuit complexity while maintaining full power provision capability
2Adaptability or versatility
If separate power circuitry is provided for each power state (0V, 5V, and 12V) of the serial communication port, then the port can provide power to peripheral devices, but redundancy is created within the serial power communication port circuitry, increasing cost
Solution Approach 1:
A single power circuit is designed to provide multiple voltage outputs (0V, 5V, and 12V) through voltage selection logic controlled by the BIOS. This universal power circuit replaces separate dedicated circuitry for each voltage level, enabling the same hardware to adapt to different power requirements based on the connected peripheral device, thereby reducing redundancy and circuit complexity while maintaining full power provision capability
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple integrated communication ports are included in a system, then communication versatility is improved, but redundancy in power circuitry increases circuit size and cost
Solution Approach 1:
Each integrated serial communication port employs a universal power circuit design that can output multiple voltage levels (0V, 5V, 12V) through BIOS-controlled voltage selection. This approach allows multiple communication ports to share a standardized power delivery mechanism, reducing the need for separate power circuitry in each port and thereby minimizing overall circuit size and component redundancy across the system
Solution Approach 2:
The power delivery function is segmented from the communication function, with a dedicated voltage selection unit and power output unit that can serve multiple communication ports. This segmentation allows the power management logic to be reused across multiple ports, reducing redundant circuitry while maintaining the ability to provide appropriate power to each connected peripheral device
Data Source
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AI summary
One of a first voltage and a second voltage may be selected based on input from a basic input/output system (BIOS). One of the selected voltage and no voltage may be output to a carrier detect (CD) pin and a ring Indicator (RI) pin of a serial communication port, based on the input from the BIOS.