Remote power control system

• US 8,560,652 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2006
• Issued: 10/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Server Technology Incorporated (Legrand SA)
• Original Assignee: Server Technology Incorporated (Legrand SA)
• Inventors: Ewing, Carrel W., Auclair, Brian P., Maskaly, James P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Haresh N
• Application Number:
  US11/370,489
• Publication Number:
  US 20070016664A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,779 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/223, 361/601, 361/622, 713/340, 439/652, 307/11, 307/18, 307/31, 307/32, 307/36, 307/37, 307/43, 307/149
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/66 Regulating electric power
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3209 Monitoring remote activity, e.g. over telephone lines or network connections
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3246 by software initiated power-off
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00004 characterised by the power network being locally controlled
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00016 using a wired telecommunication network or a data transmission bus
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/12 The local stationary network supplying a household or a building
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/00 Systems for electrical power generation, transmission, distribution or end-user application management characterised by the use of communication or information technologies, or communication or information technology specific aspects supporting them
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/124 using wired telecommunication networks or data transmission busses

Abstract

An SNMP network comprises a power manager with an SNMP agent in TCP/IP communication over a network with an SNMP network manager. The power manager is connected to control several intelligent power modules each able to independently control the power on/off status of several network appliances. Power-on and load sensors within each intelligent power module are able to report the power status of each network appliance to the SNMP network manager with MIB variables in response to GET commands. Each intelligent power module is equipped with an output that is connected to cause an interrupt signal to the network appliance being controlled. The SNMP network manager is able to test which network appliance is actually responding before any cycling of the power to the corresponding appliance is tried.

Claims

1. A method of using a power manager application to control operating power supplied to a plurality of power outputs within an electrical power distribution system, the method comprising:

providing, by at least a processor, a login interface having administrative capabilities;

providing a power output identifying interface;

providing an administrative grouping interface including a power outputs selection section that identifies a first sub-plurality of power outputs of said power outputs to be included in a first administrative group, and at least a second sub-plurality of power outputs of said power outputs to be included in at least a second administrative group;

providing a configuration entry interface corresponding to the first administrative group;

providing an administrative group manipulation interface to manipulate the first administrative group;

determining another configuration corresponding to the second administrative group and providing an interface to manipulate the second administrative group;

providing a digital current value interface to display a digital current value provided by a digital current value reporting system for the electrical power distribution system, wherein the electrical power distribution system has a power input and is connectable to provide power to one or more electrical loads in an electrical equipment rack, the digital current value reporting system being (i) in digital current value determining communication with at least one among the power input and said plurality of power outputs, and (ii) connectable in digital current value transfer communication with the power manager application; and

providing an operating power control interface, including an administrative group operating power control section to control a supply of operating power to the power outputs in the administrative groups.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a configuration change interface to change the configurations corresponding to the administrative groups.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing a login interface is performed through an interface comprising a keyboard.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing an administrative group manipulation interface comprises providing an add/delete a username interface.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing an administrative group manipulation interface comprises providing a password change interface.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing an administrative groups manipulation interface comprises providing a modem initialization data rate interface.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing an administrative groups manipulation interface comprises providing a configuration modification interface.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising saving a configuration modification to non-volatile RAM.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing an administrative groups manipulation interface comprises providing a user interface to allow an operator to control operating power supplied to the administrative groups.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing an administrative groups manipulation interface comprises providing a user interface to allow an operator to control operating power supplied to the administrative groups.