Power supply controlling apparatus and computer readable medium

• US 8,285,422 B2
• Filed: 01/09/2009
• Issued: 10/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Component Limited (Fujitsu Limited)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Component Limited (Fujitsu Limited)
• Inventors: Nagao, Naoyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Bahta, Kidest
• Application Number:
  US12/318,870
• Publication Number:
  US 20090179490A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,369 Days
• Field of Search: 700/286, 700/291, 714/745, 714/14, 713/323, 713/322, 713/340
• US Class Current: 700/286
• 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 plurality of control portions, each control portion measuring a consumption current value of a current supplied to a corresponding controlled device and controlling on/off of the current supplied to the corresponding controlled device;

a plurality of connection portions to which the plurality of controlled devices are connected;

a storage portion that stores a plurality of pieces of identification information, including a setting number, 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;

a communication portion that transmits a ping command to each controlled device, and is configured to receive a response to the ping command; and

a monitor portion that monitors a state of each of the controlled devices based on the consumption current value of the respective controlled device measured by each control portion and a response or no response state of the respective controlled device by the ping command, the monitor portion controlling 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, wherein

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.

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

wherein the monitor portion determines the state of each controlled device by comparing the consumption current value measured by each 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 each control portion so as to turn on or off the current supplied to each controlled device based on a monitor result of the respective controlled device, and controlling each control portion so as to restart the respective controlled device based on the monitor result of the respective 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 each 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 1, 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.

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

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

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

10. The power supply controlling apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the monitor portion determines that each controlled device is in the no response state after a predetermined number of ping commands have been transmitted by the communication portion without a response from the respective controlled device.

11. The power supply controlling apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the condition data providing conditions include a maximum value of a current consumption of each controlled device.

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

measuring a consumption current value of a current supplied to each of a plurality of controlled devices, and controlling on/off of the current supplied to the each of the controlled devices, each of the controlled devices being connected to a respective connection portion, the connection portions being associated with a respective control portion;

storing a plurality of pieces of identification information, including a setting number, 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;

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

monitoring a state of each of the controlled devices based on the measured consumption current value of the respective controlled device and a response or no response state of the respective controlled device by the ping command and controlling 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, interchanging plural sets of the setting number and the condition data that is stored depending on the interchange of the controlled devices.