[ detailed description ] embodiments
In the following description, reference is made to or shown in the accompanying drawings for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, and not for the purpose of limiting the same.
Referring to fig. 1 and fig. 2 together, fig. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device 1 according to the present invention, and fig. 2 is a diagram of the electronic device 1 according to the present invention. As shown in the figure, the electronic device 1 of the present invention includes: a housing 10, a circuit board 11, a processor 12, a fan 13, a storage 14, at least one expansion card 15 and a power-on key 16. The numbers of the circuit board 11, the processor 12, the fan 13, the storage 14 and the expansion card 15 can vary according to the requirements, and are only shown schematically.
The circuit board 11 is disposed in the housing 10. The processor 12 is fixedly disposed on the circuit board 11. The fan 13 is electrically connected to the processor 12, and at least a portion of the fan 13 is disposed in the housing 10. The storage 14 is electrically connected to the processor 12, and the storage 14 is disposed in the housing 10. The expansion card 15 is electrically connected to the processor 12. The power-on key 16 is electrically connected to the processor 12, a portion of the power-on key 16 is exposed out of the housing 10, the power-on key 16 is configured to be pressed by a user, and the power-on key 16 generates a power-on signal 161 when pressed by the user.
Specifically, the electronic device 1 of the present invention can be applied to various portable computers, such as various notebook computers, military portable computers, etc. In the embodiment of the present invention in which the electronic device 1 is applied to various portable computers, the housing 10 is a casing of the computer, the circuit board 11 may be a motherboard, the processor 12 may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), the storage 14 may be a conventional hard Disk (HDD), a Solid State Disk (SSD), etc., the expansion card 15 may be a RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disk) card, and the power-on key 16 may be a power-on key. The storage 14 stores an operating system 141 (e.g., an operating system 141 such as Windows, Linux, etc.), and the processor 12 is capable of running the operating system 141 stored in the storage 14. In the embodiment of the present invention in which the electronic device 1 is applied to a portable computer, the electronic device 1 may be provided with related electronic components (such as a keyboard, various wireless receiving antennas, etc.) of a general portable computer according to actual requirements, and the keyboard is not shown in fig. 2 for clearly indicating each component included in the electronic device 1.
The type and number of the fans 13 may vary according to the needs, for example, the electronic device 1 may include a single fan 13, and the fan 13 is used to assist the electronic components inside the electronic device 1 to dissipate heat when operating; alternatively, the electronic device 1 may include two fans 13, wherein one fan 13 is used to assist the processor 12 in dissipating heat, and the other fan 13 is used to assist the expansion card 15 in dissipating heat.
The electronic device 1 of the present invention is different from the conventional portable computer in the following points: when the user operates the power-on key 16 to start the electronic device 1, the processor 12 executes the power-on method of the present invention, which will be described in detail in the following embodiments.
Referring to fig. 1 and fig. 3 together, fig. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a booting method according to an embodiment of the invention. The boot method of the present invention is suitable for the processor 12 of the electronic device 1 to operate, and the boot method sequentially includes the following steps:
step S1: receiving a power-on signal (161);
step S2: controlling the fan (13) to run;
a reading judgment step S3: reading the identification data (151) of the expansion card (15) and determining whether the identification data (151) of the expansion card (15) is successfully read;
if the identification data (151) of the expansion card (15) is successfully read, operating the operating system (141) stored in the storage (14);
if the identification data (151) of the expansion card (15) is not successfully read, a waiting step S4 is executed;
the waiting step S4: waiting for a predetermined time, and after waiting for the predetermined time, executing the reading judgment step S3;
if the number of times of the wait step S4 is repeatedly executed exceeds a predetermined number of times, the operating system (141) stored in the storage (14) is operated, and an alarm signal (121) is sent to alert the user.
In a specific application, in step S1, the processor 12 may be used to receive the power-on signal 161, and the power-on signal 161 may be generated by the relevant electronic components after the user presses the power-on key 16 of the electronic apparatus 1, or the power-on signal 161 may be transmitted from an external electronic apparatus (e.g., another computer, a server, etc.) independent from the electronic apparatus 1, and if the power-on signal 161 is transmitted from the external electronic apparatus 1, the external electronic apparatus 1 may transmit the power-on signal 161 in a wired or wireless manner, for example. Of course, if the power-on signal 161 is transmitted wirelessly from the external electronic device, the electronic device 1 has a corresponding wireless signal receiver, and the processor 12 can receive the power-on signal 161 through the wireless communication receiver.
In practical applications, the fan 13 included in the electronic device 1 may be controllable by the processor 12 to operate at least two different operating speeds; when the processor 12 receives the power-on signal 161 and the processor 12 executes the aforementioned step S2, the processor 12 may control the fan 13 to operate at the highest operating speed, or the processor 12 may control the fan 13 to operate at a relatively higher operating speed.
In an embodiment where the electronic device 1 is applied as a portable computer, the electronic device 1 may include a plurality of fans 13, wherein at least one fan 13 is defined as a system fan 13A, and at least one fan 13 is defined as an expansion fan 13B, the system fan 13A is configured to assist in discharging heat generated by the processor 12 and the storage 14 during operation to the outside of the casing 10, and the expansion fan 13B is configured to assist in discharging heat generated by the expansion card 15 during operation to the outside of the casing 10. After the processor 12 receives the power-on signal 161, the processor 12 may control the operation of the system fan 13A and the expansion fan 13B at the same time, but not limited thereto, in a different embodiment, when the processor 12 executes the step S2, the processor 12 may control the operation of only the expansion fan 13B, but not the system fan 13A.
In the embodiment where the expansion fan 13B can operate at least two different operating speeds, after the processor 12 receives the power-on signal 161, the processor 12 may control the expansion fan 13B to operate at the highest operating speed, or the processor 12 may control the expansion fan 13B to operate at a relatively high operating speed. In the embodiment where the system fan 13A and the expansion fan 13B can operate at least two different operating speeds, when the processor 12 receives the power-on signal 161, the processor 12 can control the system fan 13A and the expansion fan 13B to operate at the highest operating speed or a relatively higher operating speed.
In practical applications, the identification data 151 may include, but is not limited to, a basic data (RAID card Device ID), a model number, a predetermined storage capacity, and the like of the expansion card 15. In the embodiment where the electronic device 1 is a portable computer (such as various notebook computers, military portable computers, etc.), if the processor 12 fails to read the identification data 151 of the expansion card 15, the processor 12 will execute the waiting step S4 to wait for the predetermined time; meanwhile, the processor 12 may display related information on the screen 17 of the electronic device 1, for example, to inform the user that the electronic device 1 is currently trying to read the identification data 151 of the expansion card 15 because the identification data cannot be correctly read.
In practical applications, the predetermined time waiting for the processor 12 may be not more than one second each time the processor 12 fails to read the identification data 151 of the expansion card 15, and when the processor 12 repeatedly executes the waiting step S4 for more than 150 times (the predetermined number of times), the processor 12 may directly run the operating system 141 stored in the storage 14, and the processor 12 sends the warning signal 121 to the related components of the electronic device 1 to operate the related components, so as to remind the user that the processor 12 cannot successfully read the expansion card 15 during the booting process. For example, after the processor 12 repeatedly executes the waiting step S4 for more than 150 times, the processor 12 may control the speaker of the electronic device 1 to emit a specific prompt sound, the screen 17 to display a specific image, the specific light-emitting unit to emit a light beam with a specific color, the specific light-emitting unit to flash, and the like, so as to remind the user that the data of the expansion card 15 cannot be successfully read during the booting process of the processor 12, and the expansion card 15 may have a problem.
In various embodiments, the warning signal 121 sent by the processor 12 may also be transmitted to the related electronic device (e.g., a server, etc.) independent from the electronic apparatus 1 in a wired or wireless manner, so that the related electronic device independent from the electronic apparatus 1 can record the situation that the electronic apparatus 1 cannot correctly read the expansion card 15.
Referring to fig. 1 and fig. 4 together, fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a booting method according to an embodiment of the invention. The present embodiment is different from the previous embodiments in the following point: the electronic device 1 may include a plurality of storage devices 14, wherein one of the storage devices 14 may be a system storage device 14A, and the system storage device 14A further stores a Basic Input Output System (BIOS) 142. After the step S2 (controlling the fan 13 to operate), and before the reading determining step S3, the method may further include a basic system executing step SX: causing the processor 12 to run the Basic Input Output System (BIOS) 142.
That is, after the processor 12 receives the power-on signal 161, it first turns on at least one of the fans 13 of the electronic device 1, and then the processor 12 runs the Basic Input Output System (BIOS)142 in the storage 14, and then the processor 12 continues to perform the aforementioned reading determination step S3 when the processor 12 runs the Basic Input Output System (BIOS) 142.
In a specific application, when the processor 12 runs the Basic Input Output System (BIOS)142, the processor 12 may control the screen 17 of the electronic device 1 to display a related screen so as to let the user know that the processor 12 is currently running the Basic Input Output System (BIOS)142, and when the processor 12 executes the reading determination step S3, the processor 12 may also control the screen 17 to display corresponding information so as to let the user know that the processor 12 is currently performing the reading operation of the expansion card 15.
Specifically, the basic input/output system (BIOS)142 described in this embodiment is commonly referred to as a system BIOS; in practical applications, the read determining step S3 may be one of the hardware test items of the system BIOS, but when the system BIOS repeats a predetermined number of times and cannot correctly read the identification data 151 stored in the expansion card 15, the system BIOS basically continues to perform other detection operations, and if the processor 12 executes the system BIOS, the processor 12 will run the operating system 141 stored in the storage 14 without any abnormal condition except that the identification data 151 stored in the expansion card 15 cannot be correctly read.
In summary, more specifically, when the user presses the power-on key 16 of the electronic device 1, the processor 12 will enable the battery in the electronic device 1 to provide power to each hardware, when the battery provides a stable voltage to the hardware, the processor (CPU)12 will read a basic input/output system (BIOS)142 (also called system BIOS) stored in the storage 14, the Basic Input Output System (BIOS)142 then performs a Power-On Self Test (POST) operation (commonly referred to as a POST procedure), and when the processor 12 executes the POST procedure, the processor 12 will perform an initial test and a hardware test in order, in which hardware test, the processor 12 will basically detect for each I/O connection port, storage etc. of the electronic device 1, the reading determination step S3 can be one of a plurality of items detected as hardware in the POST program.
Referring to fig. 1 and 5, fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a booting method according to an embodiment of the invention. The present embodiment is different from the previous embodiments in the following point: the basic system execution step SX may be executed before the aforementioned step S2 (controlling the operation of the fan 13). That is, after receiving the boot signal 161, the processor 12 runs the basic input/output system (BIOS)142 in the system memory 14A, and then turns on at least one of the fans 13 of the electronic device 1, and then, the processor 12 continues to perform the reading determination step S3 when running the BIOS 142. Like the previous embodiment, the basic input/output system (BIOS)142 of the present embodiment may be a so-called system BIOS, and the step S2 (controlling the operation of the fan 13) of the present embodiment may be used as one of the execution items in the POST program.
Please refer to fig. 6, which is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device according to an embodiment of the invention. The present embodiment is different from the previous embodiments in the following point: when the processor 12 receives a shutdown signal 18, the processor 12 controls the fan 13 to operate for a predetermined time, and the processor 12 turns off the power of the electronic device 1 only after the processor 12 operates the fan 13 for the predetermined time. That is, when the user turns off the electronic device by pressing the power-off key or by operating the related instructions in the operating system, the processor 12 does not directly turn off the power of the electronic device 1, and the processor 12 turns off the power of the electronic device 1 after the fan 13 is operated for a predetermined time. When the fan 13 is controlled to operate for a predetermined time, the fan 13 will help to lower the ambient temperature of the expansion card 15. In a specific application, the predetermined time may be not less than 1 minute, but not limited thereto, and the predetermined time may be varied according to the size, the operation speed, and the like of the fan 13.
In a specific application, in the case that the temperature of the expansion card 15 is 71 ℃, the electronic device 1 is turned off, and the processor 12 receives the shutdown signal 18, turns on the fan 13 disposed adjacent to the expansion card 15, and runs for more than 1 minute, so that the temperature of the expansion card 15 can be reduced to be not higher than 57 ℃.
In an embodiment where the fan 13 can be controlled by the processor 12 to operate at least two different operating speeds, when the processor 12 receives the shutdown signal 18, the processor 12 may control the fan 13 to operate at the highest operating speed or at a relatively higher operating speed, so as to rapidly reduce the temperature inside the electronic device 1, and particularly, rapidly reduce the temperature around the expansion card 15.
In a specific application, when the processor 12 receives the shutdown signal 18, the processor 12 may first remove the operating system 141 and then operate the fan 13 for a predetermined time, or the processor 12 may not remove the operating system 141 and display related information on the screen 17, so that the user knows that the electronic device 1 will shut down the power supply after the predetermined time.
In summary, in the electronic device of the present invention, by enabling the processor 12 to execute the booting method, after the user starts the electronic device 1, when the user views the login screen or desktop of the operating system through the screen 17 of the electronic device 1, the user can substantially and normally read the related data stored in the expansion card 15, or the user can know that the data in the expansion card 15 cannot be normally read during the booting process of the electronic device 1 through the related warning information displayed in the screen 17 of the electronic device 1 and the related lamp number of the electronic device 1, and the expansion card 15 may have a fault.
In a conventional RAID card, a chip in the RAID card is designed with a temperature protection mechanism, and when the chip determines that the temperature of the RAID card is higher than a predetermined value, the chip disables the RAID card, thereby protecting related data stored in the RAID card. Therefore, in the conventional portable computer with a disk array (RAID) card inside, if the user is powered off and powered back on within 5 seconds when the temperature of the disk array (RAID) card is too high, the temperature protection mechanism is easily activated by the internal chip of the disk array (RAID) card due to high temperature, and the processor 12 cannot read the disk array (RAID) card, so that the computer may not be normally powered on.
In contrast, the electronic device and the booting method of the present invention start the fan when the user boots up, so as to reduce the ambient temperature of the disk array (RAID) card (i.e. the expansion card) first, thereby the user will not easily encounter the problem that the user cannot smoothly read the disk array (RAID) card (i.e. the expansion card) because the temperature protection mechanism of the disk array (RAID) card (i.e. the expansion card) itself is started during the booting process.
In addition, in the embodiment shown in fig. 6, the processor 12 controls the fan 13 to operate for at least one minute when the electronic device 1 is powered off, so as to prevent the temperature protection mechanism from being activated by the chip inside the RAID card (i.e., the expansion card) due to the user restarting the electronic device within a short time (e.g., within 5 seconds) after the electronic device is powered off, and further prevent the electronic device 1 from being able to read the RAID card (i.e., the expansion card) smoothly.
The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, so that equivalent technical changes made by using the contents of the present specification and drawings are included in the scope of the present invention.