Information processing apparatus, power control method and recording medium to control a plurality of driving units according to the type of data to be processed

• US 6,931,557 B2
• Filed: 04/07/1999
• Issued: 08/16/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Togawa, Yoshifusa
• Primary Examiner(s): Myers, Paul R.
• Application Number:
  US09/285,879
• Publication Number:
  US 20030110323A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,323 Days
• Field of Search: 713300-340
• 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 1/325 Power saving in peripheral device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3256 Power saving in optical drive
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3268 Power saving in hard disk drive
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

An information processing apparatus which drives a plurality of driving units according to data to be processed includes a first unit which detects a type of the data to be processed and a second unit which controls each of the plurality of driving units according to the type of the data to be processed. Power save control information and names of devices applied to the power save control are read from a predetermined power save mode table according to the detected type of the data and a power save operation is executed for the driving units according to the power save control information.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus which drives a plurality of driving means according to data obtained by an application program and to be processes by the application program, the information processing apparatus comprising:

a detection unit which detects type of the data obtained by the application program; and

a plurality of power control units, each of which to control a corresponding one of the plurality of driving means according to said type of the data obtained by the application program,

wherein the plurality of driving means is not included in the processor.

2. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said control unit controls a power source which supplies power to said plurality of driving means.

3. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein each of said plurality of power control units supplies power to the corresponding one of said plurality of driving means when the corresponding one of the plurality of driving means can process said type of data obtained by the application program and stops supplying power to the corresponding one of said plurality of driving means when the corresponding one of the plurality of driving means cannot process said type of data obtained by the application program.

4. An information processing apparatus to drive a plurality of driving means according to a type of data obtained by an application program and to be processed by the application program, the information processing apparatus comprising:

a plurality of power control units, each of which to control a corresponding one of the plurality of driving means according to the type of data obtained by the application program,

wherein the plurality of driving means is not included in a processor.

5. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein each of said plurality of power control units controls a power source which supplies power to the corresponding one of said plurality of driving means.

6. A power control method which controls power supplied to a plurality of driving means to be supplied with data obtained by an application program and to be processed by the application program, the power control method comprising:

detecting a type of the data obtained by the application program; and

controlling each of said plurality of driving means with a corresponding one of a plurality of power control means according to said type of the data obtained by the application program to be processed,

wherein the plurality of driving means is not included within a processor.

7. The power control method as claimed in claim 6, wherein each of the plurality of power control means controls a power source which supplies the power to the corresponding one of said plurality of driving means.

8. The power control method as claimed in claim 7, wherein each of the plurality of power control means supplies power to the corresponding one of said plurality of driving means that can process said type of data obtained by the application program, and stops supplying power to the corresponding one of said plurality of driving means that cannot process said type of data obtained by the application program.

9. A power control method which controls power supplied to a plurality of driving means to be supplied with data obtained by an application program and to be processed by the application program, the power control method comprising:

controlling each of said plurality of driving means with a corresponding one of a plurality of power control means according to a type of data obtained by the application program,

wherein the plurality of driving means is not included within a processor.

10. The power control method as claimed in claim 9, wherein each of the plurality of power control means controls a power source which supplies the power to the corresponding one of said plurality of driving means.

11. A computer readable recording medium from which a program can be read by a computer which drives a plurality of driving means according to data obtained by an application program and to be processed by the application program, the computer readable recording medium comprising:

the program comprising;

a detection procedure for detecting a type of the data obtained by the application program; and

a control procedure for controlling each of said plurality of driving means with a corresponding one of a plurality of power control means according to said type of the data obtained by the application program,

wherein the plurality of driving means is not included within a processor.

12. The computer readable recording medium as claimed in claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of power control means controls a power source which supplies power to the corresponding one of said plurality of driving means.

13. The computer readable recording medium as claimed in claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of power control means supplies power to the corresponding one of said plurality of driving means that can process said type of data obtained by the application program and stops supplying the power to the corresponding one of said plurality of driving means which can not process said type of data obtained by the application program.

14. The computer readable recording medium from which a program can be read by a computer which drives a plurality of driving means according to a type of data obtained by an application program and to be processed by the application program, the computer readable recording medium comprising:

the program comprising;

a control procedure for controlling each of said plurality of driving means with a corresponding one of a plurality of power control means according to the type of data obtained by the application program,

wherein the plurality of driving means is not included within a processor.

15. The computer readable recording medium as claimed in claim 14 wherein each of the plurality of power control means controls a power source which supplies power to the corresponding one of said plurality of driving means.

16. The computer readable recording medium as claimed in claim 14, wherein each of the plurality of power control means supplies power to the corresponding one of said plurality of driving means that can process said type of data obtained by the application program and stops supplying the power to the corresponding one of said plurality of driving means which cannot process said type of data obtained by the application program.

17. An information processing apparatus to drive a plurality of driving units according to data obtained by an application program and to be processed by the application program, comprising:

a detection unit to detect a type of the data obtained by the application program; and

a plurality of power control units, each of which to control a corresponding one of the plurality of driving units according to the type of the data obtained by the application program,

wherein the plurality of driving units is not included in a processor.

18. The information processing apparatus of claim 17, wherein each of the plurality of power control units controls a power source which supplies power to the corresponding one of the plurality of driving units.

19. The information processing apparatus of claim 18, wherein each of the plurality of power control units supplies power to the corresponding one of the plurality of driving units when the corresponding one of the plurality of driving units can process the type of data obtained by the application program, and wherein each of the plurality of power control units stops supplying power to the corresponding one of the plurality of driving units when the corresponding one of the plurality of driving units cannot process the type of data obtained by the application program.

20. An information processing apparatus to drive a plurality of driving units according to a type of data obtained by an application program and to be processed by the application, comprising;

a plurality of power control units, each of which to control a corresponding one of the plurality of driving units according to the type of data obtained by the application program,

wherein the plurality of driving units is not included in a processor.

21. The information processing apparatus of claim 20, wherein each of said plurality of power control units controls a power source which supplies power to the corresponding one of said plurality of driving units.

22. A power control method to control power supplied to a plurality of driving units to be supplied with data obtained by an application program and to be processed by the application program, comprising:

detecting a type of the data obtained by the application program to be processed; and

controlling each of the plurality of driving units with a corresponding one of a plurality of power control units according to the type of the data obtained by the application program,

wherein the plurality of driving units is not included within a processor.

23. The power control method of claim 22, wherein each of the plurality of power control units controls a power source that supplies the power to the corresponding one of the plurality of driving units.

24. The power control method of claim 23 wherein each of the plurality of power control units supplies power to the corresponding one of the plurality of driving units that can process the type of data obtained by the application program, and stops a supply of power to the corresponding one of the plurality of driving units that cannot process the type of data obtained by the application program.

25. A power control method to control power supplied to a plurality of driving units to be supplied with data obtained by an application program and to be processed by the application program, comprising:

controlling each of the plurality of driving units with a corresponding one of a plurality of power control units according a type of data obtained by the application program,

wherein the plurality of driving units is not included within a processor.

26. The power control method of claim 25, wherein each of the plurality of power control units controls a power source that supplies the power to the corresponding one of the plurality of driving units.

27. A computer readable recording medium from which a program can be read by a computer to drive a plurality of driving units according to data obtained by an application program and to be processed by the application program, comprising:

detecting a type of the data obtained by the application program; and

controlling each of the plurality of driving units with a corresponding one of a plurality of power control units according to the type of the data obtained by the application program,

wherein the plurality of driving units is not included within a processor.

28. The computer readable recording medium of claim 27, wherein each of the plurality of power control units controls a power source that supplies power to the corresponding one of the plurality of driving units.

29. The computer readable recording medium of claim 27, wherein each of the plurality of power control units supplies power to the corresponding one of the plurality of driving units that can process said type of data obtained by the application program, and stops a supply of power to the corresponding one of the plurality of driving units that cannot process said type of data obtained by the application program.

30. A computer readable recording medium from which a program can be read by a computer to drive a plurality of driving units according to a type of data obtained by an application program and to be processed by the application, comprising:

controlling each of the plurality of driving units with a corresponding one of a plurality of power control units according to the type of data obtained by the application program,

wherein the plurality of driving units is not included within a processor.

31. The computer readable recording medium of claim 30, wherein each of the plurality of power control units controls a power source that supplies power to the corresponding one of the plurality of driving units.

32. The computer readable recording medium of claim 30, wherein each of the plurality of power control units supplies power to the corresponding one of the plurality of driving units that can process said type of data obtained by the application program, and stops a supply of power to the corresponding one of the plurality of driving units that cannot process the type of data obtained by the application program.

33. An information processing apparatus to drive a plurality of units according to data to be processed, comprising:

a detection unit to detect a type of the data to be processed;

a plurality of power control units, each of which to control a corresponding one of the plurality of driving units according to the type of the data to be processed; and

a storage unit which stores the data to be processed and application software distinct from the data to be processed,

wherein the plurality of driving units is not included in a processor, and

wherein the information processing apparatus reads the application software and the data to be processed substantially simultaneously, and executes the application software while driving the driving units.

34. An information processing apparatus to drive a plurality of driving units according to data to be processed, comprising:

a storage unit which stores a plurality of types of data, the types of data correlated with at least one of the driving units in a power saving mode table stored by the storage unit;

a processor which detects one of the types of data correlated with the one of the driving units; and

a plurality of power control units, at least one of which controls the one of the driving units according to the detected one of the types of data read from the power saving mode table.

35. The information processing apparatus according to claim 39, further comprising:

a registration unit which registers information of the one of the driving devices which is shut down when the one of the types of data is detected in the power saving mode table.

36. The information processing apparatus according to claim 39, wherein the power saving mode table includes at least one of a name of the driving unit and an identification number of the driving unit.

37. The information processing apparatus according to claim 39, further comprising:

an application software stored in the storage unit,

wherein the processor reads the power saving mode table and the application software from the storage device substantially simultaneously, and

wherein the processor executes the application software while the power control units control the driving units.