Hot plug protection system
US5712754A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 15, 1996 |
| Grant date | Jan 27, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 15, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH02H9/004
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A protection circuit for a computer system having PCI expansion cards and PCI expansion slots with multiple power rails for supplying power to the PCI expansion cards, the protection circuit including a current monitor that monitors the current levels drawn by the PCI expansion card at each power rail; an inrush current controller for controlling the initial current applied to each of the power rails when an expansion card is initially inserted into an expansion slot; a voltage monitor that monitors the voltage levels applied to selected power rails; and a disconnector for disconnecting the power to the PCI expansion slot when either the current level drawn by the PCI expansion card at any of the power rails goes beyond a selected range or when the voltage levels at any of the selected monitored power rails are below a selected threshold or when commanded by the computer system.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.