Patent Publication Number: US-2015067223-A1

Title: Hot swappable memory motherboard

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present disclosure relates to motherboards of computers and, particularly, to a hot swappable memory motherboard. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Hot swappable devices are used widely, for hot swappable hard disks, hot swappable power sources, or hot swappable USB, for example. Among these devices, hot swappable USB is most widely used. 
     When motherboards including memory cards are tested, memory cards are needed to unplug or plug in within some test items. But the memory cards of a motherboard are not hot swappable, power of the motherboard must power off then the memory cards are unplugged or plugged in. If the memory cards are directly plugged from the motherboard not only the memory cards can be damaged but also the motherboard could collapse. 
     Therefore, it is desirable to provide a hot swappable memory motherboard which can overcome the limitation described. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The components of the drawing are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the embodiments of the present disclosure. Moreover, in the drawing, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout several views. 
       The FIGURE is a schematic view of a hot swappable memory motherboard, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The FIGURE shows an exemplary embodiment of a hot swappable memory motherboard  10 . The motherboard  10  includes a memory unit  11 , a memory controller  12 , a center processor unit  13 , a power management  14 , a button  15 , and an indicator light  16 . The button  15  is configured for hot swapping the memory unit  11  when the motherboard  10  is not powered off. 
     The motherboard  10  includes a slot  100  for plugging into the memory card  11 . In this embodiment, the memory unit  11  includes a first memory  111  and a second memory  112 . In other embodiment, a number of the memory card  11  can be one, three, or more than three. 
     The memory controller  12  is connected with the center processor unit  13 , the power management  14 , and the button  15 . The power management  14  is configured for applying power energy to all of the memory unit  11 , the center processor unit  13 , and the memory controller  12 . The button  15  is connected with the memory controller  12  through a system bus, for example General Purpose Input Output (GPIO) bus. 
     The memory controller  12  can be integrated in the center processor unit  13 . The button  15  can be set on the motherboard  10  or the memory unit  11 . In this embodiment, the button  15  includes two, one is set on the first memory  111 , and the other is set on the second memory  112 . 
     When the first memory  111  is hot swapped, the button  15  on the first memory  111  is pressed. A low-level control signal is sent to the memory controller  12  through the system bus. The memory controller  12  notifies the center processor unit  11  and the power management  14 . The center processor unit  11  stops exchanging data with the first memory  111  in order that the first memory  111  is ready to be unplugged from the slot  100 . At the same time, the power management  13  cuts off the power energy applied to the first memory  111 . The indicator light  16  is controlled to power on by the center processor unit  13 . Then the first memory  111  can be hot swapped from the slot  100  while the power management  14  is still powered on. In other words, the motherboard  10  is still powered on. 
     Process of hot swapping the second memory  112  is the same as process of hot swapping the first memory  111 . 
     When the center processor unit  13  operates the first memory  111  to read and write, the second memory  112  also reads and writes under control of the center processor unit  13 . The second memory  112  has same data with the first memory  111 , thus the second memory  112  can be a copy as the first memory  111 . Even if the first memory  111  is damaged, the data can be taken from the second memory  112 . 
     Hot swapping the first memory  111  or the second memory  112 , the button  15  is pressed. The center processor unit  13  stops operating the first memory  111  or the second memory  112 . The first memory  111  or the second memory  112  can be hot swapped from the slot  100  but the power management  14  of the motherboard  10  still works normally. 
     Additionally, the first memory  111  and the second memory  112  have the same data, the first memory  111  and the second memory  112  are copies as each other, so stabilization of hot swapping of the memory unit  11  of the motherboard  10  enhances. 
     It is believed that the present embodiments and their advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the examples hereinbefore described merely exemplary embodiments of the disclosure.