SYSTEM FOR PREDICTION AND COMMUNICATION OF ENVIRONMENTALLY INDUCED POWER USEAGE LIMITATION

• US 20100191385A1
• Filed: 01/29/2009
• Published: 07/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Twombly, Peter A., Goodnow, Kenneth J., Shuma, Stephen G.
• Granted Patent: US 8,103,388 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/291
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/305 in the event of power-supply fluctuations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/329 by task scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

Disclosed are a power management system and associated method that not only initiate a “greenout” to avoid the negative impact of high loads (i.e., to avoid high power cost, negative environmental impact, brownouts, and ultimately blackouts), but can also predict the initiation of such a “greenout”. Predicting the initiation of a “greenout” and communicating the prediction to one or more of the various electronic devices connected to the power grid allows the electronic device(s) to take preparatory action to avoid and/or limit any negative impact that may be caused by the “greenout”.

Claims

1. A power management system comprising:

a plurality of electronic devices;

a power grid supplying power to said electronic devices;

a processor receiving data from at least one data source and further analyzing said data in order to generate a prediction as to an occurrence, at a future time, of a set of at least one condition that will trigger a voluntary reduction in overall power consumption by said electronic devices; and

a communication network between said processor and said electronic devices, wherein said processor communicates said prediction to at least one electronic device over said communication network so as to allow said at least one electronic device to take at least one predetermined preparatory action in response to said prediction, according to a predetermined preparatory action scheme.

2. The system of claim 1, said processor further receiving from said at least one electronic device a notification as to a status of compliance with said predetermined preparatory action scheme and one of overriding and altering a voluntary reduction in power consumption scheme, based on said status, to ensure completion of a user-specified high priority task.

3. The system of claim 1,

said system further comprising a power grid controller in communication with said processor over said communication network,

said processor further analyzing said data to detect said occurrence of said set of at least one condition and communicating said occurrence of said set of at least one condition to said controller, and

said controller further automatically limiting power supplied to said at least electronic device over said power grid in response to said occurrence, according to a predetermined reduction in power consumption scheme.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said predetermined reduction in power consumption scheme prioritizes said electronic devices and, based on electronic device priority, identifies any electronic device to be exempt from said voluntary reduction in overall power consumption, any electronic device that shall have limited power usage during said voluntary reduction in overall power consumption and any electronic device that shall have no power usage during said voluntary reduction in overall power consumption.

5. The system of claim 1, said processor further analyzing said data to detect said occurrence of said set of at least one condition and automatically communicating said occurrence of said set of at least one condition to said at least one electronic device so that said at least one electronic device can automatically limit power usage, according to a predetermined reduction in power consumption scheme.

6. The system of claim 1, said prediction further comprising a time until said occurrence of said set of at least one condition and an estimated duration of said set of at least one condition, wherein said predetermined preparatory action varies depending on at least one of said time and said estimated duration.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said analysis is performed using an adaptive prediction scheme.

8. A power management system comprising:

a plurality of electronic devices;

a power grid supplying power to said electronic devices;

a processor receiving data from at least one data source and further analyzing said data in order to generate a prediction as to an occurrence, at a future time, of a set of at least one condition that will trigger a particular severity level of voluntary reduction in overall power consumption by said electronic devices; and

a communication network between said processor and said electronic devices, wherein said processor selects at least one electronic device, depending upon said particular severity level, and communicates said prediction to said at least one electronic device over said communication network so as to allow said at least one electronic device to take at least one predetermined preparatory action in response to said prediction, according to a predetermined preparatory action scheme.

9. The system of claim 8, said processor further receiving from said at least one electronic device a notification as to a status of compliance with said predetermined preparatory action scheme and one of overriding and altering a voluntary reduction in power consumption scheme, based on said status, to ensure completion of a user-specified high priority task.

10. The system of claim 8,

said system further comprising a power grid controller in communication with said processor over said communication network,

said processor further analyzing said data to detect said occurrence of said set of at least one condition and communicating said occurrence of said set of at least one condition to said controller, and

said controller further automatically limiting power supplied to said at least electronic device over said power grid in response to said occurrence, according to a predetermined reduction in power consumption scheme, and depending on said particular severity level.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said predetermined reduction in power consumption scheme prioritizes said electronic devices and, based on electronic device priority, identifies any electronic device to be exempt from said voluntary reduction in overall power consumption, any electronic device that shall have limited power usage during said voluntary reduction in overall power consumption and any electronic device that shall have no power usage during said voluntary reduction in overall power consumption.

12. The system of claim 8, said processor further analyzing said data to detect said occurrence of said set of at least one condition and automatically communicating said occurrence of said set of at least one condition to said at least one electronic device so that said at least one electronic device can automatically limit power usage, according to a predetermined reduction in power consumption scheme, and depending on said particular severity level.

13. The system of claim 8, said prediction further comprising a time until said occurrence of said set of at least one condition and an estimated duration of said set of at least one condition, wherein said predetermined preparatory action varies depending on at least one of said time and said estimated duration.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein said analysis is performed using an adapted prediction scheme.

15. A power management method comprising:

receiving data from at least one data source regarding a power grid that supplies power to a plurality of electronic devices;

analyzing said data in order to generate a prediction as to an occurrence, at a future time, of a set of at least one condition that will trigger a voluntary reduction in overall power consumption by said electronic devices; and

communicating said prediction to at least one electronic device so as to allow said at least one electronic device to take at least one predetermined preparatory action in response to said prediction.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising receiving a notification from said at least one electronic device as to a status of compliance with said predetermined preparatory action scheme and one of overriding and altering a voluntary reduction in power consumption scheme, based on said status, to ensure completion of a user-specified high priority task.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising further analyzing said data to detect said occurrence of said set of at least one condition and communicating said occurrence of said set of at least one condition to a power grid controller so that said controller can automatically limit power supply to said at least electronic device, according to a predetermined reduction in power consumption scheme.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising further analyzing said data to detect said occurrence of said set of at least one condition and communicating said occurrence of said set of at least one condition to said at least one electronic device so that said at least one electronic device can automatically limit power usage, according to a predetermined reduction in power consumption scheme.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein said predetermined reduction in power consumption scheme prioritizes said electronic devices and, based on electronic device priority, identifies any electronic device to be exempt from said voluntary reduction in overall power consumption, any electronic device that shall have limited power usage during said voluntary reduction in overall power consumption and any electronic device that shall have no power usage during said voluntary reduction in overall power consumption

20. The method of claim 15, said prediction further comprising a time until said occurrence of said set of at least one condition, wherein said predetermined preparatory action varies depending on said time.

21. The method of claim 15, said prediction further comprising an estimated duration of said set of at least one condition, wherein said predetermined preparatory action varies depending on said estimated duration.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein said analyzing is performed using an adaptive prediction scheme.

23. The method of claim 15, wherein said prediction further indicates a particular severity level of said voluntary reduction in overall power consumption and wherein selection of said at least one electronic device to which said prediction is communicated and said predetermined preparatory action vary depending upon said particular severity level.

25. The computer program product of claim 23, said method further comprising receiving a notification from said at least one electronic device as to a status of compliance with said predetermined preparatory action scheme and one of overriding and altering a voluntary reduction in power consumption scheme, based on said status, to ensure completion of user-specified high priority tasks.

24. A computer program product for power management, said computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer usable program code embodied therewith, said computer usable program code being configured to perform a method, said method comprising:

receiving data from at least one data source regarding a power grid that supplies power to a plurality of electronic devices;

analyzing said data in order to generate a prediction as to an occurrence, at a future time, of at set of at least one condition that will trigger a voluntary reduction in overall power consumption by said electronic devices; and

communicating said prediction to at least one electronic device so as to allow said at least one electronic device to take at least one predetermined preparatory action in response to said prediction.