Power controller, server, and power control method

• US 20070186120A1
• Filed: 05/31/2006
• Published: 08/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Mori, Atsushi, Yasuo, Akihiro, Ikeda, Yoshiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,761,718 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/300
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/263 Arrangements for using multiple switchable power supplies, e.g. battery and AC G06F1/30 takes precedence

Abstract

In a blade of a blade server, power is supplied from a power distributing unit to an internal circuit, and also supplied to a capacitor to charge the capacitor. If power consumption of the blade server is high and a process load on a blade is also high, power is supplied to the internal circuit from both the power distributing unit and the capacitor. If the process load on the blade is low, power is supplied to the internal circuit only from the power distributing unit.

Claims

1. A power controller that controls supply of power from an external source to a process circuit, the power controller comprising:

an accumulating unit that accumulates power that is supplied from the external source; and

a controller that causes, when the power of the external source is insufficient to drive the process circuit, the accumulating unit to supply accumulated power to the process circuit.

2. The power controller according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first regulating unit that regulates power that is supplied directly from the external source to the process circuit to a limiting level;

a second regulating unit that regulates power that is supplied from the accumulating unit to the process circuit to a level that is equivalent to a difference between power required for operating the process circuit and the limiting level.

3. The power controller according to claim 1, wherein the controller includes a first active element that is connected to the external source and the process circuit and controls power supply from the external source to the process circuit;

a second active element that is connected to the accumulating unit and the process circuit and controls power supply from the accumulating unit to the process circuit, wherein

the controller causes a total, pertaining to the power supply to the process circuit via the first active element and the power supply to the process circuit via the second active element, to be equivalent to power that is requested from the process circuit.

4. The power controller according to claim 1, wherein the controller includes

a first switching unit that is connected to the external source and the process circuit and switches to enable or to disable the power supply from the external source to the process circuit;

a second switching unit that is connected to the accumulating unit and the process circuit and switches to enable or to disable the power supply from the accumulating unit to the process circuit, wherein

the controller simultaneously enables by switching the second switching unit, upon switching the first switching unit to disable the power supply to the process circuit, the power supply to the process circuit.

5. The power controller according to claim 1, wherein the controller includes

a switching unit that is connected to the external source and the process circuit and switches to enable or to disable the power supply from the external source to the process circuit;

and

a constant potential circuit that is connected to the accumulating unit and the process circuit such that the constant potential circuit fixedly maintains, regardless of whether the switching unit switches to enable or to disable the power supply, a potential necessary for the process circuit.

6. The power controller according to claim 5, wherein the constant potential circuit includes

a comparing unit that compares, when only the power from the external source is being supplied to the process circuit, a threshold value, which is substantially same as a potential necessary to operate the process circuit, with an actual potential of the process circuit;

and

a power distribution controller that distributes, upon. a result of comparison by the comparing unit indicating that the actual potential is greater than the threshold value, power from the accumulating unit to the process circuit.

7. The power controller according to claim 1, wherein the accumulating unit accumulates power from the external source when power supply from the external source to the process circuit is sufficient.

8. The power controller according to claim 7, wherein the accumulating unit includes

a capacitor that is charged when supplied with power;

and

a switch element that switches to enable or to disable power supply from the external source to the capacitor.

9. The power controller according to claim 1, wherein the controller monitors a remaining power in the accumulating unit and supplies, when the remaining power is greater than a predetermined threshold value, the accumulated power to the process circuit.

10. A server that includes multiple process units each including a process circuit, the server comprising:

an accumulating unit that accumulates, when power supplied to a process unit from among the process units is more than power that is required to operate a process circuit in that process unit, excess power that is supplied to the process unit; and

a controller that causes, when the power supplied to the process unit is less than the power that is required to operate the process circuit in that process unit, the accumulating unit to supply accumulated power to the process unit.

11. A power control method of controlling supply of power from an external source to a process circuit, the power control method comprising:

accumulating power that is supplied from the external source; and

supplying accumulated power to the process circuit when the power of the external source is insufficient to drive the process circuit.

12. A power control method. realized in a server that includes multiple process units each including a process circuit, the power control method comprising:

accumulating excess power that is supplied to the process unit when power supplied to a process unit from among the process units is more than power that is required to operate a process circuit in that process unit; and

supplying accumulated power to the process unit when the power supplied to the process unit is less than the power that is required to operate the process circuit in that process unit.