SMART CLIENT-SERVER SOCKET

• US 20090150509A1
• Filed: 03/11/2008
• Published: 06/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute, WPAT P.C.
• Original Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Inventors: CHEN, CHING-PIAO, CHANG, CHIA-MING, HO, WU-CHI, HSIEH, WEN-KAO
• Granted Patent: US 7,769,857 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/208
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/266 Arrangements to supply power to external peripherals either directly from the computer or under computer control, e.g. supply of power through the communication port, computer controlled power-strips
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode

Abstract

A smart client-server socket is disclosed, which comprises: a micro process unit, for signal and operation control; a communication unit, capable of receiving commands from a user for enabling the user to direct electric products connected to a server jack or/and client jacks of the smart client-server socket to enter/exit a stand-by mode; a detection unit, capable of detecting the power consumption of electric product connected to the server jack while informing the micro process unit to perform a stand-by process as soon as the detected power consumption is lower than a specific rated value; and a control unit, for executing the activating/deactivating of the server jack and client jacks according to signals received from the micro process unit.

Claims

1. A smart client-server socket, comprising:

a micro process unit, for signal and operation control;

a communication unit, capable of receiving commands from a user for enabling the user to direct electric products connected to a server jack or/and client jacks of the smart client-server socket to enter/exit a stand-by mode;

a detection unit, capable of detecting the power consumption of an electric product connected to the server jack while informing the micro process unit to perform a stand-by process as soon as the detected power consumption is lower than a specific rated value; and

a control unit, for executing the activating/deactivating of the server jack and client jacks according to signals received from the micro process unit.

2. The smart client-server socket of claim 1, further comprising a protection unit.

3. The smart client-server socket of claim 1, wherein the protection unit is an electronic switch.

4. The smart client-server socket of claim 1, wherein the control unit further comprises:

a plurality of semiconductor switches, for controlling the activation/deactivation of the client jacks;

a driving circuit, for driving the plural semiconductor switches to operate; and

a control circuit, for transmitting an on/off command to the driving circuit to be executed thereby.

5. The smart client-server socket of claim 4, further comprising:

a protection unit, being arranged at a position sandwiched between the control circuit and the driving circuit.

6. The smart client-server socket of claim 5, wherein the protection unit is an electronic switch.

7. The smart client-server socket of claim 1, wherein the communication unit is capable of being directed to operate by a command signal received from a remote control device.

8. The smart client-server socket of claim 7, wherein the wireless interface used in the remote control device is defined by a ZigBee communication protocol.

9. The smart client-server socket of claim 7, wherein the wireless interface used in the remote control device is a Bluetooth interface.

10. The smart client-server socket of claim 1, wherein the communication unit is capable of being directed to operate by a command signal received from a power line.

11. The smart client-server socket of claim 1, wherein as soon as the detection unit detects the current of the electric product connected to the server jack is lower than the specific rated value, the status of the referring electric product is determined to be off and the detection unit is enabled to inform the micro process unit with such off signal for directing the same to turn off each and every electric product connecting to the client jacks through the control unit in a manner that all the client jacks are being deactivated by the use of semiconductor switches corresponding thereto while the server jack is not operating.

12. The smart client-server socket of claim 1, wherein as soon as the detection unit detects the current of an electric product connected to one of the client jack is lower than the specific rated value, the status of the referring electric product is determined to be off and the detection unit is enabled to inform the micro process unit with such off signal for directing the same to enable the client jack to enter a standby mode through the control unit while only providing power to such client jacks in a periodic manner for allowing the same to receive signals.

13. The smart client-server socket of claim 1, wherein as soon as the detection unit detects the current of the electric product connected to the server jack is higher than the specific rated value, the status of the referring electric product is determined to be on and the detection unit is enabled to inform the micro process unit with such on signal for directing the same to enable each and every client jacks to enter a standby mode through the control unit.

14. The smart client-server socket of claim 1, wherein as soon as the detection unit detects the current of an electric product connected to one of the client jack is higher than the specific rated value, the status of the referring electric product is determined to be on and the detection unit is enabled to inform the micro process unit with such on signal for directing the same to enable the client jack to enter an activation mode through the control unit;

and in a condition that the client jack is activated within a specific short period of time after the server jack is activated, an alerting signal is issued for warning the user that the referring electric product is on prior to the activation of the corresponding client jack.