Power supply controlling apparatus and computer readable medium

• US 20090179490A1
• Filed: 01/09/2009
• Published: 07/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Component Limited (Fujitsu Limited)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Component Limited (Fujitsu Limited)
• Inventors: Nagao, Naoyuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,285,422 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/31
• 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

Abstract

A power supply controlling apparatus includes: a control portion that measure a consumption current value of a current supplied to a controlled device, and controls on/off of the current supplied to the controlled device; a communication portion that transmits a given command to the controlled device, and receives a response to the given command; and a monitor portion that monitors a state of the controlled device based on the consumption current value of the controlled device measured by the control portion, and a life or death state of the controlled device by the given command.

Claims

1. A power supply controlling apparatus comprising:

a control portion that measure a consumption current value of a current supplied to a controlled device, and controls on/off of the current supplied to the controlled device;

a communication portion that transmits a given command to the controlled device, and receives a response to the given command; and

a monitor portion that monitors a state of the controlled device based on the consumption current value of the controlled device measured by the control portion, and a life or death state of the controlled device by the given command.

2. The power supply controlling apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a storage portion that stores a normal consumption current value of the controlled device when a power supply turns on, a normal consumption current value of the controlled device when the power supply turns off, a normal consumption current value of the controlled device on a stand-by state, and a normal consumption current value of the controlled device when the controlled device starts up,

wherein the monitor portion determines the state of the controlled device by comparing the consumption current value measured by the control portion with various consumption current values stored into the storage portion.

3. The power supply controlling apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the monitor portion executes any one of controlling the control portion so as to turn on or off the current supplied to the controlled device based on a monitor result of the controlled device, and controlling the control portion so as to restart the controlled device based on the monitor result of the controlled device.

4. The power supply controlling apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communication portion notifies an external terminal of the monitor result of the controlled device by the monitor portion.

5. The power supply controlling apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

the storage portion further stores a consumption current value of the power supply controlling apparatus when the power supply controlling apparatus is normal; and

the monitor portion monitors a state of the power supply controlling apparatus itself based on the consumption current value of the power supply controlling apparatus stored into the storage portion.

6. The power supply controlling apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

there are a plurality of controlled devices;

the power supply controlling apparatus further includes a plurality of connection portions to which the plurality of controlled devices are connected, and a plurality of control portions;

the storage portion stores a plurality of pieces of identification information associated with the connection portions, and a plurality of pieces of condition data providing conditions which decide on/off of the current supply by the control portions and are associated with the connection portions;

the monitor portion controls the control portions so as to turn on or off the currents supplied to the controlled devices based on the plurality of pieces of condition data; and

when the controlled devices are interchanged and connected to the connection portions, the monitor portion interchanges plural sets of the setting number and the condition data stored into the storage portion depending on the interchange of the controlled devices.

7. The power supply controlling apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein when an external storage medium storing at least one of the identification information and the condition data is connected to any one of the connection portions, the monitor portion interchanges the plural sets of the identification information and the condition data stored into the storage portion, or rewrites at least one of the identification information and the condition data stored into the storage portion, based on the at least one of the identification information and the condition data stored into the external storage medium.

8. The power supply controlling apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the monitor portion executes any one of controlling the control portion so as to turn on or off the current supplied to the controlled device based on a monitor result of the controlled device, and controlling the control portion so as to restart the controlled device based on the monitor result of the controlled device.

9. The power supply controlling apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the communication portion notifies an external terminal of the monitor result of the controlled device by the monitor portion.

10. The power supply controlling apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the communication portion notifies an external terminal of the monitor result of the controlled device by the monitor portion.

11. A computer readable medium causing a computer to execute a process, the process comprising:

measuring a consumption current value of a current supplied to a controlled device, and controlling on/off of the current supplied to the controlled device;

transmitting a given command to the controlled device, and receiving a response to the given command; and

monitoring a state of the controlled device based on the measured consumption current value of the controlled device, and a life or death state of the controlled device by the given command.