Power smart peripheral devices with external power supplies

• US 8,996,892 B1
• Filed: 10/13/2011
• Issued: 03/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marvell Asia Pte Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Original Assignee: Marvell International Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Inventors: Chu, Chee Hoe, Zheng, Ping, Zhou, Wei, Chang, Po-Chien
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US13/272,745
• Time in Patent Office: 1,265 Days
• Field of Search: 713/300, 713/320, 713/323, 713/324, 710/8, 710/62, 710/64
• US Class Current: 713/300
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/325 Power saving in peripheral device
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

A peripheral device includes a host interface, a power interface, a switch, a control module, and a regulator. The host interface transfers data between the peripheral device and a host. The power interface receives power from a power source. The power source is separate from the peripheral device and the host. The control module monitors the host interface and generates a control signal to transition the switch from a first state to a second state when the host interface does not receive an expected signal from the host. The regulator powers the control module and a circuit of the peripheral device based on the power received from the power source. The control module is separate from the circuit. The switch activates the control module, the regulator and the circuit when in the first state and deactivates the control module, the regulator and the circuit when in the second state.

Claims

1. A peripheral device comprising:

a host interface configured to receive and transmit data between the peripheral device and a host;

a power interface configured to receive power from a power source, wherein the power source is separate from the peripheral device and the host;

a switch having a first state and a second state;

a control module configured to monitor the host interface and generate a control signal to transition the switch to the second state when the host interface does not receive an expected signal from the host; and

at least one regulator configured to power the control module and a circuit of the peripheral device based on the power received from the power source, wherein the control module is separate from the circuit,

wherein the switch is configured to activate the control module, the at least one regulator and the circuit when in the first state and deactivate the control module, the at least one regulator and the circuit when in the second state.

2. The peripheral device of claim 1, wherein the expected signal is:

a communication signal;

or

a power signal providing an amount of power greater than a predetermined threshold.

3. The peripheral device of claim 1, wherein the switch is configured to deactivate the peripheral device when in the second state.

4. The peripheral device of claim 1, wherein the switch is configured to disconnect the power interface from the control module, the at least one regulator and the circuit.

5. The peripheral device of claim 1, further comprising an alternating current-to-direct current converter configured to convert alternating current received from the power interface to direct current,

wherein the switch is configured to disconnect the power interface from the alternating current-to-direct current converter.

6. The peripheral device of claim 1, wherein the at least one regulator is configured to power the control module or the circuit of the peripheral device based on the power received from the host.

7. The peripheral device of claim 1, wherein the at least one regulator comprises:

a first regulator configured to power the control module; and

a second regulator configured to power the circuit.

8. The peripheral device of claim 1, wherein:

the circuit comprises a hard disk drive, a print mechanism, a projector lamp circuit or a scanner lamp circuit; and

the switch is configured to deactivate the hard disk drive, the print mechanism, the projector lamp circuit or the scanner lamp circuit when in the second state.

9. The peripheral device of claim 1, further comprising:

a storage device for storing the data; and

a second control module configured to control transfer of the data between the host and the storage device,

wherein the switch is configured to deactivate the second control module when in the second state.

10. The peripheral device of claim 9, wherein:

the host interface is a universal serial bus interface;

the second control module is a universal serial bus-to-serial advanced technology attachment converter; and

the storage device includes a hard disk drive.

11. The peripheral device of claim 1, wherein:

the switch is a first switch;

the peripheral device further comprises a second switch configured to transition between a first position and a second position;

the second switch is configured to activate the peripheral device when in the first position and deactivate the peripheral device when in the second position;

the peripheral device is deactivated when the first switch is in the second state and the second switch is in the first position;

the control module transitions from a power ON mode to a shutdown mode and then from the shutdown mode to a power OFF mode when the second switch transitions to the second position; and

the shutdown mode comprises flushing data from a volatile memory to a non-volatile memory.

12. The peripheral device of claim 1, wherein the control module is configured to:

determine whether power is received from the host or there is communication activity between the host and the peripheral device; and

wait a predetermined period prior to deactivating the peripheral device when power is not received from the host or there is no communication activity between the host and the peripheral device.

13. The peripheral device of claim 1, wherein:

the switch is a first switch;

the peripheral device further comprises a second switch configured to activate the peripheral device when in a first position and transition the peripheral device to a shutdown mode when in a second position;

the peripheral device is deactivated and in a power OFF mode when the first switch is in the second state and the second switch is in the first position or the second position; and

the peripheral device is in the power OFF mode when the first switch is in the first state and the second switch is transitioned to the second position.

14. The peripheral device of claim 1, wherein:

the switch is a first switch; and

the peripheral device further comprises a second switch configured to activate the peripheral device when in a first position and transition the peripheral device to a shutdown mode when in a second position, wherein the control module, when the second switch is in the second position, is configured to

initiate a timer,

flush a volatile memory to a non-volatile memory, and

deactivate the circuit.

15. The peripheral device of claim 14, wherein the control module is configured to:

deactivate the peripheral device when a predetermined period of the timer has lapsed; and

refrain from deactivating the peripheral device prior to the predetermined period lapsing and when the second switch is transitioned to the first position.

16. The peripheral device of claim 15, wherein:

the timer is a first timer; and

the control module, when a cable is not connected to the host and to the peripheral device, is configured to

initiate a second timer,

flush the volatile memory to the non-volatile memory, and

deactivate the circuit.

17. The peripheral device of claim 15, wherein:

the timer is a first timer; and

the control module, when power is not received by the peripheral device from the host or there is no communication activity between the host and the peripheral device, is configured to

initiate a second timer,

flush the volatile memory to the non-volatile memory, and

deactivate the circuit.

18. The peripheral device of claim 1, wherein the power interface directly receives the power from the power source and not via the host.

19. A method comprising:

receiving and transmitting data between a peripheral device and a host via a host interface of the host;

receiving power at the peripheral device from a power source, wherein the power source is separate from the peripheral device and the host;

monitoring the host interface;

generating a control signal to transition a switch from a first state to a second state when the host interface does not receive an expected signal from the host;

power a control module and a circuit of the peripheral device via at least one regulator based on the power received from the power source, wherein the control module is separate from the circuit;

activating the control module, the at least one regulator and the circuit via the switch when the switch is in the first state; and

deactivating the control module, the at least one regulator and the circuit via the switch when the switch is in the second state.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the expected signal is:

a communication signal;

or

a power signal providing an amount of power greater than a predetermined threshold.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the switch is a first switch, and wherein the method further comprises:

activating the peripheral device when a second switch is transitioned from a second position to a first position;

deactivating the peripheral device when the second switch is transitioned from the first position to the second position;

deactivating the peripheral device when the first switch is in the second state and the second switch is in the first position;

transitioning from a power ON mode to a shutdown mode and then from the shutdown mode to a power OFF mode when the second switch transitions to the second position; and

during the shutdown mode, flushing data from a volatile memory to a non-volatile memory.