Light source operation

• US 8,941,330 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2013
• Issued: 01/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Ng, Kay Seah, Ng, Kay Hoe, Lee, Chee How
• Primary Examiner(s): Owens, Douglas W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chan, Wei
• Application Number:
  US13/848,516
• Publication Number:
  US 20140285116A1
• Time in Patent Office: 677 Days
• Field of Search: 315/32, 315/362, 315/307, 315/149, 315/312, 315/150, 315/294, 340/541, 340/565, 340/567
• US Class Current: 315/308
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/115 by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/16 by timing means
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

In one example implementation in accordance with the present disclosure, a process is provided. The process includes entering a first mode of operation where a plurality of light sources are permitted to illuminate. The process further includes entering a second mode of operation where the plurality of light sources associated with the first switch are not permitted to illuminate, and where the entering of the second mode of operation is in response to not detecting a presence for a time period. The process still further includes entering a third mode of operation in response to receiving a command, where only a subset of the plurality of light sources are permitted to illuminate and the remainder of the plurality of light sources are not permitted to illuminate.

Claims

1. A method to reduce power consumption, comprising:

entering, by a first switch, a first mode of operation, wherein during the first mode of operation a plurality of light sources associated with the first switch are permitted to illuminate;

entering, by the first switch, a second mode of operation, wherein during the second mode of operation the plurality of light sources associated with the first switch are not permitted to illuminate, and wherein the entering of the second mode of operation is in response to not detecting a presence proximate to the first switch for a time period;

re-entering, by the first switch, the first mode of operation, wherein the re-entering of the first mode of operation is in response to detecting a presence proximate to the first switch;

receiving, by the first switch, a command to enter a third mode of operation, wherein during the third mode of operation only a subset of the plurality of light sources are permitted to illuminate and the remainder of the plurality of light sources are not permitted to illuminate; and

entering, by the first switch, the third mode of operation.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the first switch, a command to re-enter the first mode of operation; and

entering, by the first switch, the first mode of operation.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, from the first switch and to a second switch, a command to not permit a plurality of light sources associated with the second switch to illuminate, wherein the command is transmitted by the first switch in response to the first switch receiving the command to enter the third mode of operation.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

transmitting, from the first switch and to the second switch, a command to permit the plurality of light sources associated with the second switch to illuminate, wherein the command is transmitted by the first switch in response to the first switch receiving a command to re-enter the first mode of operation.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of light sources associated with the first switch comprise at least one of activity light sources and link light sources associated with ports on the first switch.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the subset of the plurality of light sources comprises at least one of an activity light sources and a link light source associated with a malfunctioning port.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a presence detector associated with the first switch is disabled during the third mode of operation, and wherein the presence detector is enabled during the first and second mode of operation.

8. A first switch, comprising:

a plurality of ports;

a plurality of light sources associated with the plurality of ports;

a presence detector to detect presence proximate to the switch; and

a power efficiency module communicatively coupled to the presence detector and the plurality of light sources, wherein the power efficiency module is to

cause the first switch to enter a second mode of operation in response to the presence detector not detecting a presence proximate to the first switch for a time period, wherein during the second mode of operation the plurality of light sources associated with the plurality of ports are not permitted to illuminate;

cause the first switch to enter a first mode of operation in response to the presence detector detecting a presence proximate to the first switch, wherein during the first mode of operation the plurality of light sources associated with the plurality of ports are permitted to illuminate; and

cause the first switch to enter a third mode of operation in response to receiving a first command, wherein during the third mode of operation only a subset of the plurality of light sources associated with the plurality of ports are permitted to illuminate and the remainder of the plurality of light sources associated with the plurality of ports are not permitted to illuminate.

9. The first switch of claim 8, wherein the power efficiency module is further to:

cause the first switch to re-enter the first mode of operation in response to receiving a second command.

10. The first switch of claim 9, wherein the first command and second command are received from a computing device separate from the first switch hut communicatively coupled to the first switch.

11. The first switch of claim 8, wherein the power efficiency module is further to:

cause the first switch to transmit a third command to a second switch in response to receiving the first command, wherein the third command directs the second switch to not permit a plurality of light sources associated with the second switch to illuminate.

12. The first switch of claim 11, wherein the power efficiency module is further to:

cause the first switch to transmit a fourth command to the second switch, wherein the fourth command directs the second switch to permit the plurality of light sources associated with the second switch to illuminate.

13. The first switch of claim 8, wherein the power efficiency module is further to:

cause the first switch to transmit a third command to a plurality of switches in response to receiving the first command, wherein the third command directs the plurality of switches to not permit a plurality of light sources associated with the plurality of switches to illuminate.

14. The first switch of claim 13, wherein the power efficiency module is further to:

cause the first switch to transmit a fourth command to the plurality of switches, wherein the fourth command directs the plurality of switches to permit the plurality of light sources associated with the plurality of light sources to illuminate.

15. The first switch of claim 8, wherein the power efficiency module is further to:

disable the presence detector upon entering the third mode of operation, and re-enable the presence detector upon re-entering the first mode of operation.

16. The first switch of claim 8, wherein the plurality of light sources associated with the plurality of ports comprise at least one of activity light sources and link light sources.

17. The first switch of claim 8, wherein the subset of the plurality of light sources are associated with one or more malfunctioning ports.

18. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a device to:

enter a second mode of operation in response to not detecting a presence proximate to the device for a time period, wherein during the second mode of operation a plurality of light sources are not permitted to illuminate;

enter a first mode of operation in response to detecting a presence proximate to the device, wherein during the first mode of operation the plurality of light sources are permitted to illuminate;

enter a third mode of operation in response to receiving a first command, wherein during the third mode of operation only a subset of the plurality of light sources are permitted to illuminate and the remainder of the plurality of light sources associated with the plurality of ports are not permitted to illuminate; and

re-enter the first mode of operation in response to receiving a second command.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the plurality of light sources are port light sources.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 18, comprising further instructions that, when executed, cause the device to:

transmit a command to another device to enter a mode of operation where a plurality of light sources associated with the device are not permitted to illuminate.