Reliable card detection in a CPCI system
US6501660B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 22, 2001 |
| Grant date | Dec 31, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 22, 2021 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F13/4081
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A CPCI system is adapted to reliably detect the presence of all front cards, whether hot swappable or not. The system includes a line that is used to detect the presence of a front card. The line is connected to a connector-pin of a slot. The line is also connected to a pull-up resistor so that when a front card is not inserted in the slot, the line has a high value. When a front card is inserted in the slot, the connector-pin mates with a corresponding connector-pin in the front card. The corresponding connector-pin is connected to a ground layer of the front card so that the line becomes grounded. The voltage level on the line is input to a register that outputs a high or low to a circuit for detecting the presence of a front card. The circuit may be a hot swap controller, a CPU or a status indicator. Accordingly, depending on the output of the register, the circuit reliably determines whether a front card is present in the particular slot. The reliable detection of all front cards provides to the operating system of the CPU a more accurate view of the hardware configuration.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.