Method and control apparatus for controlling startup of multiple IDE—HDDs
US7152173B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 30, 2002 |
| Grant date | Dec 19, 2006 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 30, 2024 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02D10/00
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
The present invention provides a method and a control apparatus (1) for sequentially controlling the spinning up of a number of IDE_HDDs (30) included in one computer or network server. The method and apparatus works by assigning different ID numbers to different pairs of IDE_HDDs and causing a delay between the start of spin up of each pair. The control apparatus includes a host (10), a plurality of controllers (20), a plurality of power switches (40) and a plurality of IDE_HDDs. When the control apparatus is booted up, each controller receives an ID number from the host and delays activating the power switches connecting a power supply (50) to the IDE_HDDs by a time proportional to the ID number. The present invention thereby avoids too high an instantaneous peak current during booting up and prevents the power supply from being burnt out.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.