Information processing apparatus, operation state control method, and computer program product

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9625970-B2
Application number	US-201314143578-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 30, 2013
Priority date	Feb 28, 2013
Publication date	Apr 18, 2017
Grant date	Apr 18, 2017

Abstract

According to an embodiment, an information processing apparatus that includes a processor, has a first control unit, a power storage unit, and a second control unit. The first control unit is configured to control execution of a process by the processor. The power storage unit is configured to store therein power. The second control unit is configured to control reduction of power consumption of the information processing apparatus in a case where there is a process waiting to be executed and an amount of stored power of the power storage unit is equal to or less than a first threshold.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An information processing apparatus capable of switching, its operation state between a first state and a second state with lower power consumption than the first state, the apparatus comprising:
a processor configured to:
control execution of a process;
determine, in a case where there is a process waiting to be executed, whether the apparatus is to be placed in the second state; and
place the apparatus in the second state in a case where an active rate is equal to or larger than a first threshold, the active rate indicating a time for which the apparatus is in the first state per unit time.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a power storage device configured to store therein power; and a stored power amount detector configured to detect an amount of stored power of the power storage device, wherein
the processor places the apparatus in the second state in a case where the amount of stored power is equal to or less than a second threshold.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a power generator configured to generate power; and
a power generation amount detector configured to detect an amount of generated power of the power generator, wherein
the processor places the apparatus in the second state in a case where the amount of generated power is equal to or less than a second threshold.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a power generator configured to generate power;
a power storage device configured to store therein power;
a power generation amount detector configured to detect an amount of generated power of the power generator; and
a stored power amount detector configured to detect an amount of stored power of the power storage device, wherein
the processor places the apparatus in the second state in a case where the amount of generated power is equal to or less than a third threshold and the amount of stored power is equal to or less than a second threshold.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a calculator configured to calculate the active rate.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a power generator configured to generate power; and
a power generation amount detector configured to detect an amount of generated power of the power generator, wherein
the processor changes the second threshold according to the amount of generated power.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a power storage device configured to store therein power; and
a stored power amount detector configured detect an amount of stored power of the power storage device, wherein
the processor changes the second threshold according to the amount of stored power.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a power generator configured to generate power;
a power storage device configured to store therein power;
a power generation amount detector configured to detect an amount of generated power of the power generator; and
a stored power amount detector configured to detect an amount of stored power of the power storage device, wherein
the processor changes the second threshold according to the amount of generated power and the amount of stored power.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor does not place the apparatus in the second state in a case where there is the process waiting to be executed whose degree of priority is equal to or larger than a second threshold.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a storage device configured to store therein power consumption at a time of execution of the process, wherein
the processor reads the power consumption at the time of execution of the process, and places the apparatus in the second state in a case where there is not enough power for execution of the process.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the process is a virtual machine, and the processor is a hypervisor that controls execution of the virtual machine.

12. An operation state control method performed in an information processing apparatus capable of switching its operation state between a first state and a second state with lower power consumption than the first state, the method comprising:
controlling, by a processor, execution of a process;
determining, by the processor, in a case where there is a process waiting to be executed, whether the apparatus is to be placed in the second state; and
placing, by the processor, the apparatus in the second state in a case where an active rate is equal to or larger than a first threshold, the active rate indicating a time for which the apparatus is in the first state per unit time.

13. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium containing a computer program that causes a computer capable of switching its operation state between a first state and a second state with lower power consumption than the first state to perform:
controlling execution of a process;
determining, in a case where there is a process waiting to be executed, whether the apparatus is to be placed in the second state; and
placing the apparatus in the second state in a case where an active rate is equal to or larger than a first threshold, the active rate indicating a time for which the apparatus is in the first state per unit time.

Assignees

• Toshiba Kk

Inventors

• Yoshimura Shiyo
• Segawa Junichi
• Kanai Tatsunori
• Kimura Tetsuro
• Shirota Yusuke
• Tarui Masaya
• Haruki Hiroyoshi
• Shirai Satoshi
• Fujisaki Koichi
• Shibata Akihiro
• Toyama Haruhiko

Classifications

• G06F1/3212 Primary

  Monitoring battery levels, e.g. power saving mode being initiated when battery voltage goes below a certain level · CPC title

• G06F1/3206

  Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality · CPC title

• Y02B60/1292

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y02D10/00

  Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management · CPC title