Power-save computing apparatus and method, a power-save computing program and a program product

• US 7,340,623 B2
• Filed: 03/10/2004
• Issued: 03/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Tetsuji, Kato, Shinsuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Perveen; Rehana
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stoynov; Stefan
• Application Number:
  US10/796,203
• Publication Number:
  US 20040181660A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,455 Days
• Field of Search: 713/320
• US Class Current: 713/320
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/324 by lowering clock frequency
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/325 Power saving in peripheral device
• 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 1/3275 Power saving in memory, e.g. RAM, cache
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0261 managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0267 by controlling user interface components
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0287 changing the clock frequency of a controller in the equipment
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A device information administrator detects a fluctuation in a total consumed power of a power-consuming device group and determines and outputs a consumed power to be changed by any of devices in the power-consuming device group so as to suppress this fluctuation. A power-save determinator generates and outputs a control command for at least one device of the power-consuming device group so that the total consumed power of the power-consuming device group changes in accordance with the consumed power to be changed outputted from the device information administrator. A device controller controls at least one device corresponding to the control command outputted from the power-save determinator in accordance with the control command. Accordingly, the fluctuation in the total consumed power of one or more power-consuming devices can be effectively suppressed.

Claims

1. A power-save computing apparatus comprising:

a device information administrator for detecting a fluctuation in a total consumed power of one or more power-consuming devices, for determining a consumed power to be changed so as to suppress the fluctuation in the total consumed power, and for outputting the determined consumed power to be changed;

a power-save determinator for generating and outputting a control command for at least one of the one or more devices so that the total consumed power changes in accordance with the consumed power to be changed outputted from the device information administrator; and

a device controller for controlling the at least one of the one or more devices in accordance with the control command outputted from the power-save determinator,

wherein the device controller includes a controlled state administration table for storing information on a content of operation and a permissible lapse of time of an operation following the control command for each of at least some of the one or more devices, and

wherein, if a lapse of time after some content of operation was changed into an operation following the control command exceeds the corresponding permissible lapse of time, then the device controller prohibits the power-save determinator from outputting the control command corresponding to the some content of operation.

2. A power-save computing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the power-save determinator possesses a rule for converting the consumed power to be changed into a control command for each of the one or more devices, and the power-save determinator generates and outputs the control command to the at least one of the one or more devices in accordance with the rule.

3. A power-save computing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a storage unit for storing a rule for converting the consumed power to be changed into a control command for a device to be added to the one or more devices, wherein the device information administrator causes the power-save determinator to possess the rule stored in the storage unit correspondence with the added device if the device to be added is added to the one or more devices.

4. A power-save computing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the controlled state administration table stores a permissible operation range for each of at least some of the one or more devices, and

wherein, if some content of operation exceeds the permissible range, then the device controller prohibits the power-save determinator from outputting the control command corresponding to the some content of operation.

5. A power-save computing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a battery as a power source for supplying a power to the one or more devices is connected with the one or more devices, and upon detecting a fluctuation in the total consumed power in a decreasing direction, the device information administrator generates and outputs the consumed power to be changed only when a power-saving effect for the battery when the decrease in the total consumed power is suppressed is greater than the power-saving effect for the battery caused by the decrease in the total consumed power.

6. A power-save computing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the device information administrator holds a changing pattern of a consumed power of each of the one or more devices or a changing pattern of the total consumed power of the one or more devices;

predicts a future value of the total consumed power based on any one of the patterns and detection results of a fluctuation in the total consumed power of the one or more devices; and

determines and outputs the consumed power to be changed so as to suppress a future fluctuation in the total consumed power.

7. A power-save computing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the power-save computing apparatus is included in the one or more devices.

8. A power-save computing method comprising:

detecting a fluctuation in a total consumed power of one or more power-consuming devices;

determining a consumed power to be changed so as to suppress the detected fluctuation in the total consumed power;

generating and outputting a control command for at least one of the one or more devices so that the total consumed power changes in accordance with the determined consumed power to be changed; and

controlling the at least one device in accordance with the outputted control command,

wherein said controlling includes referring to a controlled state administration table which stores information on a content of operation and a permissible lapse of time of an operation following the control command for each of at least some of the one or more devices, and,

wherein, if a lapse of time after some content of operation was changed into an operation following the control command exceeds the corresponding permissible lapse of time, then said controlling prohibits an output of the control command corresponding to the some content of operation.

9. A computer-readable medium having a program stored thereon for causing a computer to perform a power-save computing method, the method comprising:

detecting a fluctuation in a total consumed power of one or more power-consuming devices;

determining a consumed power to be changed so as to suppress the detected fluctuation in the total consumed power;

generating and outputting a control command for at least one of the one or more devices so that the total consumed power changes in accordance with the determined consumed power to be changed; and

controlling the at least one device in accordance with the outputted control command,

wherein said controlling includes referring to a controlled state administration table which stores information on a content of operation and a permissible lapse of time of an operation following the control command for each of at least some of the one or more devices, and,

wherein, if a lapse of time after some content of operation was changed into an operation following the control command exceeds the corresponding permissible lapse of time, then said controlling prohibits an output of the control command corresponding to the some content of operation.