Power device of an information processing apparatus for adjusting a drive stop time period based upon system activity

• US 5,809,316 A
• Filed: 03/21/1996
• Issued: 09/15/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Gouzu, Tomonobu
• Primary Examiner(s): Ray, Gopal C.
• Application Number:
  US08/619,139
• Time in Patent Office: 908 Days
• Field of Search: 395/750.01, 395/750.05, 395/750.06, 360/73.03, 360/69, 360/77.02, 360/78.13
• US Class Current: 713/323
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3268 Power saving in hard disk drive
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

To provide a power control apparatus for reducing power, wherein the user can specify a time interval to stop driving a system, such as a computer system, there are provided a system-state detecting unit for detecting the drive state of the system, measuring unit for measuring a drive-stop designation time period Toff from the time when the system finishes processing to the time when the user designates drive-stop for the system, and for measuring a drive-start designation time period Tcont from the time when the system finishes processing to the time when the user designates drive-start for the system after the system is automatically stopped, a power-off-time determining unit for determining the automatic-drive-stop time period from the time when the system finishes processing to the time when the drive automatically stopped, according to the drive-stop designation time period, a time reporting unit for measuring the idling time from the time when the system finishes processing to the time when processing is started again and for reporting that the idling time has exceeded the automatic-drive-stop time period, and a system control unit for stopping the driving of the system according to the report.

Claims

1. A power control apparatus comprising:

a system which is driven and controlled by one of a user and automatically;

state detecting means for detecting a state of operation of said system;

measuring means for measuring information regarding changes in a state of operation of said system as determined by said state detecting means after finishing processing;

determining means for determining an automatic-drive-stop time period from a time when said system finishes processing to a time when said system is automatically stopped, according to said information;

time reporting means, receiving the output of the state detecting means, for measuring an idling time from a time when said system finishes processing to a time when processing is re-started, and for reporting that the idling time has exceeded said automatic-drive-stop time period; and

system control means for stopping said system based upon an output of said time reporting means.

2. A power control apparatus of claim 1, wherein

said information includes a drive-stop designation time period from a time when said system finishes processing to a time when the user designates a drive-stop for said system, and a drive-start designation time period from a time when said system finishes processing to a time when the user designates a drive-start for said system after the drive for said system has been stopped automatically.

3. A power control apparatus of claim 2, wherein

said automatic-drive-stop time period is determined according to an average time of a plurality of said drive-stop designation time periods and said drive-start designation time periods.

4. A power control apparatus of claim 2, wherein

said automatic-drive-stop time period is determined according to a constant multiple of an average time of a plurality of said drive-stop designation time periods and said drive-start designation time periods.

5. A power control apparatus of claim 2, wherein

said automatic-drive-stop time period is determined according to an average value of a total of a plurality of said drive-stop designation time periods and said drive-start designation time periods.

6. A power control apparatus of claim 2, wherein

said automatic-drive-stop time period is further determined according to at least one of a predetermined upper limit and a predetermined lower limit.

7. A power control apparatus of claim 2, wherein

said drive-stop designation time period is set to one of an upper limit and a lower limit and said drive-start designation time period is set to another one of said upper limit and said lower limit.

8. A power control apparatus of claim 2, wherein

said automatic-drive-stop time period is determined according to a first process when automatic drive-stops are detected a predetermined number of consecutive times, and according to a second process when automatic drive-stops are not detected said predetermined number of consecutive times.

9. A power control apparatus of claim 2, wherein

said drive-stop designation time period, said drive-start designation time period, and said automatic drive-stop time period are reduced at predetermined rate.

10. A power control apparatus of claim 1, wherein

said information includes a number of drive-stop designations in which the user designates a drive-stop for said system after processing finishes, and a number of automatic drive-stops in which the drive is automatically stopped after processing finishes.

11. A power control apparatus of claim 10, wherein

said automatic-drive-stop time period is determined according to a ratio of said number of drive-stop designations to said number of automatic-drive-stops.

12. A power control apparatus of claim 10, wherein said automatic-drive-stop time period is determined according to a first process when said drive-stop designation time period is at or below a lower limit, and according to a second process when said drive-stop designation time period is greater than said lower limit.

13. A power control apparatus of claim 10, wherein

said automatic-drive-stop time period is further determined according to at least one of a predetermined upper limit and a predetermined lower limit.

14. A power control apparatus of claim 10, wherein

said automatic-drive-stop time period is determined according to a first process when automatic drive-stops are detected a predetermined number of consecutive times, and according to a second process when automatic drive-stops are not detected said predetermined number of consecutive times.

15. A power control apparatus of claim 1, wherein

said information includes a number of automatic drive-stops in which the drive is automatically stopped after processing finishes, and a number of drive-start designations from a time when said system finishes processing to a time when the user designates a drive-start for said system after the drive for said system has been stopped automatically.

16. A power control apparatus of claim 15, wherein

said automatic-drive-stop time period is determined according to a ratio of said number of automatic drive-stops to said number of drive-start designations.

17. A power control apparatus of claim 15, wherein said automatic-drive-stop time period is determined according to a first process when said drive-start designation time period is at or below a lower limit, and according to a second process when said drive-start designation time period is greater than said lower limit.

18. A power control apparatus of claim 15, wherein

said automatic-drive-stop time period is further determined according to at least one of a predetermined upper limit and a predetermined lower limit.

19. A power control apparatus of claim 1, wherein

said measuring means measures said information separately for each of a plurality of users, said determining means includes input means for inputting the name of a user of said system, and said automatic-drive-stop time period is determined based upon the user.

20. A power control apparatus of claim 1, wherein

said measuring means measures said information separately for each of a plurality of functions of said system, and said determining means determines an automatic-drive-stop time period for each function.

21. A power control apparatus of claim 1, wherein

said measuring means measures said information separately for each of a plurality of units of said system, said determining means determines an automatic-drive-stop time period for each unit, said reporting means reports that an idling time of a unit has exceeded a corresponding automatic-drive-stop time period for said unit, and said stopping means stops a drive for said unit according to an output of the reporting means.

22. A power control apparatus of claim 1, wherein

said determining means determines said automatic-drive-stop time period according to changes in power consumption of said system and said time periods when the transient power consumed in said system at power on differs from the average power consumed in idling.

23. A power control apparatus of claim 1, wherein

said determining means determines said automatic-drive-stop time period according to a remaining power of the power supply which drives said system and said time periods.

24. A method for determining an automatic stop period for a unit of a system comprising the steps of:

determining a plurality of stop time periods, each stop time period being a time after processing in said unit has finished until a user designates a stop;

determining a plurality of start time periods, each start time period being a time after processing in said unit has finished until a user designates a start following an automatic stop;

storing said plurality of stop time periods and said plurality of start time periods; and

determining the automatic stop period based upon a combination of said stored plurality of stop time periods and said stored plurality of start time periods.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the step of determining the automatic stop period includes the steps of:

determining an average time of said stored plurality of stop time periods and said stored plurality of start time periods; and

determining the automatic stop period based upon said average time.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein said automatic stop period is determined as a predetermined multiple of said average time.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the step of determining the automatic stop period further includes the steps of:

comparing a stop time period to at least one of an upper limit and a lower limit;

comparing a start time period to at least one of an upper limit and a lower limit; and

wherein the storing step occurs based upon a result of the comparison steps.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein the step of determining the automatic stop period includes the step of:

determining the automatic stop period based upon a ratio of a number of said stored plurality of stop time periods to a number of said stored plurality of start time periods.

29. A method for saving power in a system comprising the steps of:

determining a plurality of stop time periods for at least one unit, each stop time period being a time after processing in said at least one unit has finished until a user designates a stop;

determining a plurality of start time periods for the at least one unit, each start time period being a time after processing in said at least one unit has finished until a user designates a start following an automatic stop;

storing said plurality of said stop time periods and said plurality of said start time periods;

determining an automatic stop period for the at least one unit based upon the stored plurality of stop time periods and the stored plurality of start time periods; and

stopping the at least one unit when said automatic stop period has elapsed after processing has finished.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the step of determining the automatic stop period includes the steps of:

determining an average time of said stored plurality of stop time periods and said stored plurality of start time periods; and

determining the automatic stop period based upon said average time.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the step of determining the automatic stop period includes the step of:

determining the automatic stop period based upon a ratio of a number of said stored plurality of stop time periods to a number of said stored plurality of start time periods.

32. A power control apparatus for a system having at least one unit comprising:

measuring means for measuring information regarding changes in an operation state of the at least one unit of the system after processing in the at least one unit has finished;

determining means for determining an automatic stop period for the at least one unit based upon the measured information; and

stopping means for stopping the at least one unit when said automatic stop period has elapsed after processing has finished.

33. The power control apparatus of claim 32, wherein said information includes a drive-stop designation time period from a time when said system finishes processing to a time when the user designates a drive-stop for said system, and a drive-start designation time period from a time when said system finishes processing to a time when the user designates a drive-start for said system after the drive for said system has been stopped automatically.