Patent ID: 7685320

Claim:
A system comprising: a bus; and a plurality of POL (point-of-load) regulators coupled to the bus, each of the plurality of POL regulators having a respective regulated voltage output and configured to transmit and receive information over the bus according to a bus protocol; wherein at least a first POL regulator of any of the plurality of POL regulators is configured to initiate a first bus operation by transmitting onto the bus an address that uniquely identifies the first POL regulator, wherein the first bus operation comprises transmitting first information onto the bus indicating that the respective regulated voltage output of the first POL regulator is enabled if the respective regulated voltage output of the first POL regulator is enabled; wherein at least a second POL regulator of the plurality of POL regulators is configured to receive the first information and the address that uniquely identifies the first POL regulator, and in response to receiving the first information and the address that uniquely identifies the first POL regulator, enable its respective regulated voltage output; wherein the first POL regulator and the second POL regulator each maintains respective fault event data, wherein each respective fault event data is configured to indicate whether the first POL regulator and the second POL regulator have transmitted over the bus respective information indicative of a detected hardware fault; wherein each of the first POL regulator and the second POL regulator is configured to update its respective fault event data when receiving information indicating a detected hardware fault transmitted onto the bus by the first POL regulator; and wherein each of the first POL regulator and the second POL regulator is configured to update its respective fault event data when receiving information indicating a detected hardware fault transmitted onto the bus by the second POL regulator.