International Business Machines Corporation

William Fast, Jr

Brent William Yardley

Adrian P Glover

James M Fox

Abraham Garcia

A technique for operating a power subsystem includes determining a respective power status of power devices in the power subsystem. The power devices include a first power device and a second power device that derives power from the first power device. Respective visual indicators of the first and second power devices are controlled to uniquely indicate which of the first and second power devices have an associated fault based on the respective power status of the power devices.

Techniques for indicating the status of power devices of a power subsystem

A switching regulator sources a power rail and includes a top side or input rail side switch, a bottom side or ground side switch, and an inductor. When the switching regulator is disabled or generally turned off, a bottom side transistor in the bottom side switch is pulsed on and off, or held on, to drain or bleed the power rail to ground. When the bottom side transistor is off and if there is a voltage across the inductor from the power rail at a switching node, current flows through a body diode of the top side switch to the input rail of the switching regulator.

Bleeding switching regulator power rail through switching regulator ground side switch

Embodiments of the present invention disclose an apparatus including a power source and a plurality of electronic subsystems connected in parallel to the power source. Each of the plurality of electronic sub systems includes a circuit breaker, a transient-voltage-suppression (TVS) diode, and a load. The TVS diode is located downstream of the circuit breaker in each of the plurality of electronic systems.

Growing community of inventors

Houston, TX, United States of America

William Fast, Jr