Abstract:
A technique for isolating and indicating faults or defects in a personal computer system. The personal computer includes a power supply system with an internal fault detector and an enabling input that, when active, instigates the power supply fault detection procedure. In normal operation, an enabling signal is applied to the enabling input when the computer ON/OFF control is activated and when other aspects of the personal computer system have been determined to be operational. A mechanism for simulating an enabling signal and an indicator driven by the power supply fault detector permit fault indications to be localized as existing either in the power supply or elsewhere in the PC system.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The invention relates generally to fault-detection and fault-isolation techniques for electronic equipment and, more particularly, to a technique for detecting and isolating faults or defects related to the operation of a power supply in a personal computer system.  
           [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art  
           [0004]    Computer systems in general and personal computer systems in particular have attained widespread use within many segments of today&#39;s society, and may be viewed as information handling systems that afford independent computing power to one user or to a plurality of users. A personal computer system can conveniently be classified as a desktop, floor standing, or portable microcomputer.  
           [0005]    A personal computer system will likely include one or a plurality of peripheral devices that are coupled to the system processor and that perform specialized functions. Examples of peripheral devices include modems, sound and video devices or specialized communication devices. Mass storage devices such as hard disks, CD-ROM drives and magneto-optical drives are also considered peripheral devices.  
           [0006]    [0006]FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary computer system  300 . The computer system depicted in FIG. 3 is seen to include a microcomputer that includes a microprocessor (or simply “processor”)  310 , associated main memory  350  and control logic and a number of peripheral devices  330 ,  387 ,  391  that provide input and output for the system  300 . A typical computer system  300  includes a power supply  110  connected to a voltage regulator  315  providing power to the processor  310 . Peripheral devices shown in FIG. 3 include keyboards  391 , graphics devices  330 , and traditional I/O devices  387  that often include display monitors, mouse-type input devices, floppy and hard disk drives, CD-ROM drives and printers.  
           [0007]    The number and kinds of peripheral devices that are appended to personal computers continue to expand. For example, many computer systems also include network capability, terminal devices, modems, televisions, sound devices, voice recognition devices, electronic pen devices, and mass storage devices such as tape drives, CD-R drives or DVDs. The peripheral devices usually communicate with the processor over one or more buses  320 ,  360 ,  380 , with the buses communicating with each other through the use of one or more bridges  340  and  370 .  
           [0008]    One skilled in the art will recognize that the foregoing components and devices are used as examples for sake of conceptual clarity and that various configuration modifications are common. For example, the processor  310  is used as an exemplar of any general processing unit, including but not limited to multiprocessor units; host bus  320  is used as an exemplar of any processing bus, including but not limited to multiprocessor buses; and host-to-PCI bridge  340  and PCI-to-ISA bridge  370  are used as exemplars of any type of bridge.  
           [0009]    PC systems typically include a system board to interconnect system components and peripheral devices and include a power supply to provide specified DC output voltages to system components and peripherals. For example, the power supply in a desktop computer typically converts 110 volts AC to various DC voltages that are distributed to PC subsystems and peripherals. Typically, 3.3 VDC may be provided to a modem, 5.0 VDC to a hard drive, and 12.0 VDC to a CD-ROM drive. FIG. 2 is a rendition, in block diagram form, of a conventional power supply system  200 , such as may readily be used with PC systems. Power supply  110  converts a nominal 110-volt AC input at terminals  220  and  221  to a plurality of DC voltage outputs at terminals  230 ,  240  and  250 . Power supply  110  incorporates a self-test procedure that is initiated when a predetermined signal is applied to an input terminal  160 . In practice, the required signal may appear between terminal  160  and system ground (GND)  180 . In general, if the self-test procedure indicates that the power supply performance complies with predetermined criteria, an appropriate signal indicating such compliance is caused to appear at output terminal  150 .  
           [0010]    Specifically, it is common that commercially available power supply systems undertake the self-test function during the PC start-up process. The self-test procedure is often initiated by applying a predetermined voltage to a Power Supply Enable (PS E ) input, or the equivalent, on the power supply. In one embodiment, the necessary voltage may be, for example, a logic-level ZERO. Power supply self-test is largely defined by the operation of a fault detector in the power supply. For the purposes of this Description, it may be assumed that the fault detector measures each of the power supply output voltages to determine whether those voltages reside within respective specified predetermined ranges, ±5% being commonplace. If the observed output voltages comply with this specification, then the fault detector will issue an affirmation that no fault exists within the power supply. The affirmation may take the form of a logic-level ZERO at the output of the fault detector, but other prescribed outputs may be encountered. The output of the fault detector is routed from the power supply through a connector to the PC system board. This signal, which may be colloquially referred to as the PS Good (PS G ) output of the power supply, is then used to drive an indicator, usually a light-emitting diode (LED). Power supplies that operate generally as described above are commercially available from Lite-On Electronics, Inc., Milpitas, Calif. (Model #PS-520-7D), and from Delta Electronics, Taipei, Taiwan (Model # NPS-200PB-73). Activation of the LED serves as an indication that the power supply is operating, as is the entire PC. Conversely, failure of the LED to light may justify an inference that the power supply, or some other aspect of the PC, is not operative.  
           [0011]    However, failure of the LED indicator to light cannot be conclusively taken as confirmation that the power supply is itself defective. The ambiguity derives from an existing PC design in which the PS E  input to the power supply is generally contingent on the combination of a number of inputs to logic circuitry that generates the PS E  signal. Simply, a power-supply-enabling PS E  input becomes available only when the PC ON/OFF control has been activated, and when selected other PC components, subsystems, or peripherals have been determined to be operating properly. Therefore, failure of the LED indicator to light may be taken to indicate a fault or defect, but does not serve to specifically localize the defect. This uncertainty is, of course, an impediment to a troubleshooting and repair process. Clearly, if a defect could be confidently isolated to the power supply, then a malfunctioning PC could be returned to operation simply be replacing a defective power supply. On the other hand, if the fault is not able to be localized to the power supply, the entire PC may need to be taken out of service for repair, perhaps for an unnecessarily extensive duration.  
           [0012]    Accordingly, what is desired is a simple, expedient and effective mechanism for isolating faults in a PC. Specifically, the mechanism should confidently determine whether the cause of an inoperative PC resides within the PC power supply or may be found elsewhere. Currently, a user has no means to accurately determine when a power supply system has failed. An indicator associated with the self-test function may respond indiscriminately to the failure of a power supply or, alternatively, to the grounding of the system board due to unrelated causes. When a power supply system fails, the user (or a repair technician) must isolate each component from the circuit and connect each component to the indicator using a jumper or other connector. Only after a repair technician isolates and tests the power supply can the repair technician determine whether failure of the indicator to illuminate, or otherwise provide an affirmative indication, is due to a fault in the power supply or a fault in the system board.  
           [0013]    Accordingly, aspects of the invention allow a user or repair technician to immediately and accurately distinguish between the failure of a power supply and a failure of a system board. In addition, a user or repair technician may initiate self-test of a power supply and to observe an indicator to determine if a power supply has failed. The above advantages allow the user or repair technician to identify the failure of a power supply without having to transport the computer system to a repair facility. Other advantages allow a user to determine whether a power supply has failed without removing a computer casing or otherwise disassembling the computer. Efficient discrimination between the failure of a power supply and the failure of the system board allows a user or repair technician to immediately identify the necessary replacement components, and to reduce the need for separately dispatching repair parts.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0014]    The above and other objects, advantages and capabilities are achieved in one aspect of the invention in a testing method for a personal computer that incorporates (i) an ON/OFF control, (ii) a power supply having a fault detector, a PS E  input, and a PS G  output coupled to the fault detector, (iii) an enabling circuit having a plurality of inputs, at least one of which is coupled to the ON/OFF control, the enabling circuit for providing an enabling signal at the PS E  input of the power supply, and (iv) an indicator coupled to the PS G  output. The method comprises engaging the ON/OFF control, observing the indicator, and if the indicator does not provide a positive indication, simulating an enabling signal at the PS E  input of the power supply.  
           [0015]    In another aspect, a fault-isolation apparatus in a personal computer comprises a power supply having a PS E  input, a PS G  output and a fault detector coupled to the PS G  output; an indicator coupled to the PS G  output; and an ON/OFF control. A power supply enabling circuit has a plurality of inputs, one of which is coupled to the ON/OFF control, and has an output for providing an enabling signal to the PS E  input of the power supply. The apparatus also includes means coupled to the PS E  input of the power supply for simulating an enabling signal.  
           [0016]    In a further aspect, for use in a personal computer that includes an ON/OFF control and that includes an enabling circuit having a plurality of inputs, at least one of which inputs is coupled to the ON/OFF control, and having an output for providing an enabling signal, a power supply comprises a PS E  input coupled to the enabling circuit; a fault detector; a PSG output coupled to the fault detector; and testing means coupled to the PS E  input of the power supply for simulating an enabling signal.  
           [0017]    In an additional aspect, a personal computer comprises a system board; a connector that is coupled to the system board and that has a plurality of contacts; an ON/OFF control coupled to a connector contact; a power supply having a PS E  input, a PS G  output and a fault detector coupled to the PS G  output; and an indicator coupled to the PS G  output. A power supply enabling circuit is disposed on the systems board and has a plurality of inputs, one of which is coupled through a connector contact to the ON/OFF control, and has an output for providing an enabling signal through a connector contact to the PS E  input of the power supply. Also includes is means coupled through a connector contact to the PS E  input of the power supply for simulating an enabling signal. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0018]    The present invention may be better understood, and its numerous objects, features, and advantages made apparent to those skilled in the art by referencing the accompanying drawings. The use of the same reference symbols in different drawings indicates similar or identical items.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram, partially in block form, of an embodiment of the invention.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a conventional power supply system.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a computer system into which the subject fault isolation system may be incorporated.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 4 is a representation of a connector, coupled to the PC system board, through which signals relevant to the operation of the subject invention may be distributed. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0023]    Referring now to FIG. 1, depicted therein is a fault-isolation and fault-detection apparatus for use, inter alia, in a personal computer system. The apparatus includes a power supply  110  that itself includes a fault detector  110   a , a Power Supply Enable (PS E ) input  110   b , and a Power Supply Good (PS G ) output  110   c . The output of fault detector  110   a  is coupled to the PS G  output of power supply  110 , in one embodiment through logic gate  110   d . The PS E  input to the power supply  110  is also coupled to the logic gate  110   d.    
         [0024]    In the embodiment of FIG. 1, logic gate  110   d  is a dual-input NOR gate, but other logic configurations may be dictated by the respective polarities of the PS E  input, PS G  output, and the output of fault detector  110   a . In general, fault detector  110   a  operates to measure the voltages at the various voltage outputs (not shown in FIG. 1) of power supply  110 . When the observed voltages reside within predetermined respective ranges, the fault detector provides an output signal at its PS G  output that signifies that no fault exists in the power supply. For purposes of this Description, it may be assumed that fault detector  110   a  provides a logic-level ZERO at its output when no out-of-range condition is detected at any power supply voltage output, and provides a logic-level ONE otherwise.  
         [0025]    In an exemplary embodiment, power supply  110  is enabled when a logic-level ZERO is applied at input  110   b . Again, for pedagogical purposes, PS G  output  110   c  is assumed to be positive when a logic-level ONE appears at that output. Given the above-stated conventions, and because the output of the fault detector and the PS E  input to the power supply are NORed in logic gate  110   d , a positive (logic-level ONE) output will appear at output  110   c  only when the fault detector determines that no fault exists (so that a logic-level ZERO appears at the corresponding input of gate  110   d ) and when a PS E  signal (logic-level ZERO) is applied to input  110   b  and from there to the other input of gate  110   d . When a positive signal, in this embodiment a logic-level ONE, appears at output  110   c , indicator  111  provides an affirmative indication through the radiation of visible light. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, indicator  111  is exemplified in a light-emitting diode (LED), but other forms of indicators, visual or otherwise, are contemplated by the invention.  
         [0026]    By way of reiteration, an affirmative indication can appear at output  110   c  only when there exists no fault in the power supply, as determined by fault detector  110   a , and when the power supply is enabled by the application of a logic-level ZERO at the PS E  input  110   b  of the power supply. In this regard, an enabling signal may be provided at input  110   b  through the operation of an enabling circuit, in the form of logic gate  190 . In order to simplify this Description, the power supply enabling circuit is instantiated as a NAND gate with a plurality of inputs. Operation of the enabling circuit proceeds as follows.  
         [0027]    With continuing reference to FIG. 1, one of the inputs to logic gate  190  is supplied by the PC ON/OFF control  130 . When the PC user, or technician, engages the ON/OFF control, as by, for example momentarily depressing a push button on the PC cabinet, a logic-level ONE is caused to appear at input  190   b  of logic gate  190 . Concurrently, numerous disparate other signals are coupled to the other inputs  190  ( c - n ) of logic gate  190 . The other signals derive from other functions in the PC system and are taken as indications that, for example, the CPU, various memory components, other PC subsystems, and selected peripherals have been respectively determined to be operating properly.  
         [0028]    Consequently, when the ON/OFF control has been engaged and all other observed PC functions have been assessed to be operative, a logic-level ZERO will propagate to output  190   a  of logic gate  190 . From output  190   a  of logic gate  190 , the logic-level ZERO will be coupled to the PS E  input of power supply  110 . With the power supply enabled and an affirmative output (logic ZERO) provided by fault detector  110   a , a logic ONE will appear at output  110   c , and the LED indicator  111  will be activated. However, if LED  111  fails to light, then the PC user, or troubleshooting technician, will know a fault resides somewhere in the PC system. Nevertheless, armed with only this information, the technician will conclude that the origin of the fault is indeterminate. That is, the user or technician will not know whether the fault is confined to the power supply itself, or resides elsewhere in the PC system. Clearly, effective remediation of the origin of the fault or defect will be impossible until the fault is localized. In particular, it would be helpful to know whether the fault is confined to the power supply, thereby suggesting replacement and/or repair of the defective power supply.  
         [0029]    The invention contemplates a response to the fault-isolation dilemma, in the form of a testing means that is coupled to the PS E  input  110   b  of power supply  110 . In a manner that will be apparent imminently, the testing means operates to simulate a PS E  input to the power supply. In one embodiment, the testing means takes the form of a manually-operable switch  117  coupled between the PS E  input of the power supply and a reference potential (GND). Activation of switch  117  causes the switch, which is normally open, to become closed, so that contact  117   a  is connected to contact  117   b . Therefore, the PS E  input of the power supply will be pulled to GND, and a logic ZERO will appear at the PS E  input. In this manner, closure of the switch is seen to effectively simulate the application of an enabling signal from enabling circuit  190  to input  110   b . That is, closure of switch  117  overrides the output of the enabling circuit, at least to the extent that a logic ONE would otherwise have appeared at the PS E  input. Accordingly, if switch  117  is GNDed and indicator  111  continues to decline to provide an affirmative indication at output  110   c , then it may reasonably be concluded that a fault exists in power supply  110 . Alternatively, if activation of switch  117  causes LED  111  to emit, then it may reasonably be assumed that no fault exists in the power supply and the fault or defect lives elsewhere in the PC system. If there were a fault condition in the power supply, fault detector  110   a  would have presented a logic-level ZERO at the input of NAND gate  110   d , and PS G  output of the power supply would be held to a logic ZERO, irrespective of the existence of a simulated enabling signal at the PS E  input.  
         [0030]    Although the invention has been described above specifically with respect to the embodiment of FIG. 1, those skilled in the art recognize that the invention extends beyond the literal scope of the Description above and as depicted in FIG. 1. For example, switch  117  may be replaced by, and should be deemed equivalent to, any structure that effects simulation of a power supply enabling signal at input  110   b  of the power supply. As a rudimentary alternative, switch  117  may be replaced by a simple temporary jumper connection between the PS E  input and GND. Similarly, the enabling signal is not restricted to a logic ZERO, but may be a logic ONE or a voltage within a predetermined range.  
         [0031]    In addition, indicator  111  need not be an LED and, in fact, indicator  111  need not be a visual indicator. What is pertinent to the invention, however, is that there be enabled a method of testing a personal computer and that the test method be compatible with a personal computer power supply that incorporates fault detection and an indicator driven, at least in part, by the results of the power supply fault detection. The particular algorithm that governs power supply fault detection does not delimit the invention. That is to say, the invention comprehends fault detector operation that is predicated on a requirement other than that power supply output voltages inhabit predetermined specified ranges. Central to the test method is the simulation of an enabling signal at a PS E  input of the power supply.  
         [0032]    The method implicitly recognizes that in normal operation the power supply is enabled, vel non, according to a computation performed by an enabling circuit that is, in turn, driven by a plurality of inputs separate from the power supply. That is, a power supply enabling signal, PS E , is generated only when the ON/OFF control  130  has been engaged and the other relevant inputs to the enabling circuit have assumed the necessary respective states, presumably indicating that other PC subsystems (CPU, memory, hard disk, keyboard, etc.) have been determined to be operative. Accordingly, when the enabling circuit provides an enabling signal to the PS E  input and the fault detector indicates that no fault exists in the power supply, the appearance of a logic ONE at the PS G  output will cause the indicator to provide a positive indication, that is, emit light. Conversely, if the enabling circuit declines to provide an enabling signal at the PS E  input (so that the voltage there remains at a logic ONE), presumably because one of the inputs to the enabling circuit indicates a failure in a respective PC subsystem, then the indicator will provide a positive indication only if (i) the fault detector determines that no fault exists in the power supply and (ii) a simulated enabling signal is applied at the PS E  input. Of course, the power supply will provide a negative indication at its PS G  output, and the indicator will not emit, whenever that fault detector detects a fault, irrespective of whether (i) the enabling circuit provides an enabling signal to the PS E  input or (ii) the testing means (switch  117  or the like) simulates an enabling signal.  
         [0033]    As should be readily apparent from the Description insofar set out above, operation of the invention is predicated on the detection, generation and combination of various signals that originate from, or must be distributed to, numerous disparate components and locations within the PC enclosure. These signals include, for example, the ON/OFF control that originates typically from the PC enclosure, the PS E  signal that originates from the enable circuit on the system board and must be routed to the power supply, the PS G  signal that originates at the power supply and is coupled to the LED indicator, and the simulated enable signal that is applied to the PS E  input of the power supply to in the course of a troubleshooting and fault isolation process. Accordingly, an aspect of the invention addresses an implementation that effects the necessary distribution of those signals. In one embodiment, represented in FIG. 4, relevant signals are routed from their respective origins, through a connector  41 , to the necessary destinations. Connector  41  has numerous contacts,  41   a ,  41   b , . . .  441   n , and may be conveniently positioned on, and coupled to various conductors and components included on the system board  42 .  
         [0034]    As may be seen in FIG. 4, ON/OFF control  130  is coupled to a contact  41   a  on connector  40 , and from there to input  190   b  of enabling circuit  190 . Output  190   a  of the enabling circuit is coupled to connector  41  at a contact  41   b , and the PS E  input to power supply  110  is similarly coupled to contact  41   c . Contact  41   d  is coupled to one terminal of switch  117 . The PS G  output of power supply  110  is coupled to contact  41   e , and indicator  111  is coupled to contact  42   f . As is easily understood, interconnections between the contacts of connector  41  may be alternatively made through conductive traces on the system board, or through connections integral to the connector itself.  
         [0035]    While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be recognized to those skilled in the art that, based upon the teachings herein, further changes and modifications may be made without departing from this invention and its broader aspects, and thus, the appended claims are to encompass within their scope all such changes and modifications as are within the true spirit and scope of this invention, as well as all embodiments that are equivalent to embodiments described with particularity herein.  
         [0036]    For example, signals provided or used by various components included in, or collateral to, embodiments described herein have been characterized with specificity. To wit: the PS E  input to power supply  110  has been described as active when it assumes a logic ZERO; fault detector  110  has been described as providing an affirmative output (indicating no fault or defect) in the form of a logic ZERO; and the PS G  output of power supply  110  must assert a logic ONE in order to activate indicator  111 . However, the scope of the invention is not to be limited to the magnitudes, polarities, or other characteristics of those signals. In addition, although the fault detector is described herein as conforming to a procedure in which only the power supply output voltages are monitored, the invention also comprehends fault-detection procedures that operate according to additional or different criteria. Similarly, the invention is not limited to a PS E  simulation signal that is activated by a switch or by jumper to GND, and any action applied to the input to the power supply that initiates operation of the fault detector, in the absence of the normally requisite output of enabling circuit  190 , suffices.