Power supply control circuit

Abstract

To maintain a power off state and allow a user to turn the power back on at a timing intended by the user even if a power switch is in a power connection state when the power is turned off without using a location-holding power switch.SOLUTION: An operation control unit 1051 determines the state of a power switch 104. When the result of the determination is in a state of power supply being connected, the operation control unit 1051 puts a power supply circuit 106 into an operational state. When the result of the determination on the operation control unit 1051 is a connected state, if a command to turn off the power supply arrives, a flag setting releasing unit 1052 sets a maintenance flag to a state indicating that the power is turned off by the command. In this case, the operation control unit 1051 controls the power supply circuit 106 to be a non-operating state, and controls the power supply circuit 106 to remain in a non-operating state until the power switch 104 is placed in a shut off state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a power supply control circuit mounted on an electronic device such as a UTM (Unified Threat Management) device in which a position-holding switch such as a rocker switch is used as a power supply switch. [Background technology]

[0002] So-called rocker switches are widely used as power switches for various electronic devices such as home appliances, PC (Personal Computer) peripherals, office equipment, and business equipment. Rocker switches switch between a connected state and a disconnected state of an electric circuit by alternately pressing both ends of an operating button like a seesaw. In recent years, as disclosed in Patent Document 1 described later, there have been efforts to reduce the size of rocker switches and improve the stability of the energized state. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-57469 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Rocker switches have the advantage that they make a "click" sound when in operation and have a clear distinction between on and off, reducing operational errors. Generally, a rocker switch maintains the connected state when switched to the connect side, and maintains the disconnected state when switched to the disconnect side. For this reason, for example, even if the power supply is stopped due to a power outage and the device is forcibly shut down, once the power is restored and power supply is resumed, the power supply connection state via the rocker switch will be maintained, and the device will automatically restart (restart up). However, these characteristics can sometimes cause inconvenience.

[0005] For example, suppose that for maintenance or other reasons, a process to turn off the power to an electronic device (shutdown process) is performed from a console or the like using a command without going through a rocker switch. In this case, since the rocker switch remains in the connected state, the supply of commercial power is not cut off, and the device will automatically restart even after shutdown. In other words, a problem occurs in which the shutdown state cannot be maintained even if one wishes to do so. This type of problem occurs not only when a rocker switch is used, but also when using a so-called position-maintaining power switch that maintains the connected or cut-off state depending on the user's switching operation.

[0006] In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to maintain the power-off state of an electronic device when a user turns off the power to the electronic device without using a position-holding power switch, even if the power switch is in a connected state, and to enable the power to be turned back on at any time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, the power supply control circuit of the present invention as set forth in claim 1 comprises: A position-holding power switch is connected to the device, which is a switch for switching the power on / off in response to a user's command and maintains a power connection state when turned on and maintains a power disconnection state when turned off; A determination means for determining a state of the power switch; a first control means for controlling the power supply circuit to be in an operating state when the determination result of the determination means is in a connected state; a flag setting means for setting a predetermined flag to a state indicating that the power supply is turned off by a command when a command for turning off the power supply arrives while the determination result of the determination means is a connected state; a second control means for controlling the power supply circuit to be in a non-operating state when the predetermined flag is set by the flag setting means to a state indicating that the power supply is turned off by a command, and for controlling the power supply circuit to be maintained in the non-operating state until a determination result of the determination means changes to a cut-off state; The present invention is characterized by comprising:

[0008] According to the power supply control circuit of the invention described in claim 1, a position-holding type power switch is connected to the power supply control circuit, and the state of the power supply switch is determined by the determination means. When the determination result by the determination means is a power connection state, the first control means controls the power supply circuit to be in an operating state. When the determination result by the determination means is a power connection state and a command to turn off the power arrives, the flag setting means sets a predetermined flag to a state indicating that the power has been turned off by a command. In this case, the second control means controls the power supply circuit to be in an inoperable state, and controls the power supply circuit to remain in an inoperable state until the determination result by the determination means changes to a cut-off state. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to this invention, when a user turns off the power of an electronic device without using a position-holding power switch, the power-off state can be maintained even if the power switch is in a connected state. Also, the user can turn the power back on at any time. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram for explaining a system environment in which a UTM device, which is an example of an electrical device equipped with a power supply control circuit according to an embodiment, is used. [Diagram 2] 1 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration example of a UTM device which is an example of an electrical device equipped with a power supply control circuit according to an embodiment. [Diagram 3]1 is a block diagram for explaining a power supply circuit unit including a power supply control circuit according to an embodiment; [Figure 4] 2 is a diagram for explaining the control contents of a power supply control circuit according to an embodiment; FIG. [Diagram 5] 4 is a flowchart for explaining a process performed in a power supply control circuit according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the power supply control circuit of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the embodiment described below, an embodiment of the power supply control circuit of the present invention will be described by taking as an example a case where the power supply control circuit is mounted on a UTM (Unified Threat Management) device, which is an electronic device provided with a rocker switch as a power switch.

[0012] [System environment in which UTM device is used] FIG. 1 is a block diagram for explaining a system environment in which a UTM device, which is an example of an electric device equipped with a power supply control circuit according to an embodiment, is used. The UTM device 1 is a comprehensive threat management device (security monitoring device) configured by mounting a plurality of different security functions on one piece of hardware. A security monitoring system is configured by connecting a plurality of user PCs (Personal Computers) 2(1), 2(2), ..., 2(n) to the UTM device 1 via a LAN (Local Area Network) 4, and connecting a console PC 3 via a LAN 5. This security monitoring system is formed, for example, within a company, and each of the user PCs 2(1), 2(2), ..., 2(n) is a business PC used by an employee, and the console PC 3 is a maintenance PC mainly used by a system administrator (maintenance staff) or the like.

[0013] As shown in Fig. 1, the UTM device 1 is connected to the Internet 6. On the Internet 6, there exist a large number of HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) server devices 7 and a large number of mail server devices 8. Various web pages stored in these HTTP server devices 7 are available to the general public. In addition, it is possible to send and receive e-mail via these mail server devices 8.

[0014] That is, the user PCs 2(1), 2(2), ..., 2(n) connected to the LAN 4 and the console PC 3 connected to the LAN 5 can access the HTTP server device 7 on the Internet 6 through the UTM device 1 and view the desired Web page. The HTTP server device 7 is also called a Web server. The user PCs 2(1), 2(2), ..., 2(n) connected to the LAN 4 and the console PC 3 connected to the LAN 5 can use the mail server device 8 on the Internet 6 through the UTM device 1 to send and receive e-mail to and from the desired recipient. The mail server device 8 is actually configured to include a sending server device, a receiving server device, a DNS (Domain Name System) server device, etc.

[0015] The console PC3 is mainly used for maintenance management of the UTM device 1. For example, the operating status of the UTM device 1 can be monitored through the console PC3, and a shutdown command can be sent to the UTM device 1 to shut down the UTM device 1. After shutting down the UTM device 1, maintenance such as replacing a board can be performed, and after rebooting after maintenance, tests on the UTM device 1 can be performed through the console PC3.

[0016] [Example of UTM device 1 configuration] 2 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration example of a UTM device which is an example of an electric device equipped with a power supply control circuit according to an embodiment. The UTM device 1 includes a connection end 101 to the Internet 6, a communication I / F (interface) 102, and a control unit 103. The communication I / F 102 converts data sent to the device itself via the Internet 6 into data in a format that can be processed by the device itself, imports the data, and supplies it to the control unit 103. The communication I / F 102 also converts data from the control unit 103 into data in a format for transmission, and transmits the data to a target destination via the Internet 6. Communication with a server device or the like connected to the Internet 6 is performed via the connection end 101 and the communication I / F 102.

[0017] Although not shown, the control unit 103 is configured by connecting a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and a non-volatile memory via a bus, and realizes the function of controlling each part of the UTM device 1. The ROM records various programs and data required for processing. The RAM is mainly used as a working area, such as temporarily storing intermediate results of processing. The non-volatile memory records programs and data that need to be retained even when the power of the UTM device 1 is turned off, such as additional programs for enhancing functions and setting information set by the user. In addition to the memories of the control unit 103, a storage device such as an SSD (Solid State Drive) may also be installed.

[0018] The power switch 104, the power control circuit 105, and the power supply circuit 106 constitute a power circuit section for supplying driving power to each section of the UTM device 1. The power switch 104 is a rocker switch, and is located between the commercial power source and the power supply circuit 106. When the power switch 104 is switched to the on side, it connects the commercial power source and the power supply circuit 106 and maintains the connected state, and when the power switch 104 is switched to the off side, it disconnects the commercial power source and the power supply circuit 106 and maintains the disconnected state. The power switch 104 also supplies to the power control circuit 105 a connection state signal that is on when in a connected state and off when in a disconnected state, for example.

[0019] The power supply control circuit 105 determines whether the power supply switch 104 is in a connected state (whether the power supply switch 104 is in a connected state or not (whether the power supply switch 104 is in a disconnected state) based on a connection state signal from the power supply switch 104. Furthermore, when the power supply control circuit 105 determines that the power supply switch 104 is in a connected state, it supplies an enable signal to the power supply circuit 106. Note that when the power supply switch 104 is in a disconnected state, that is, when the power supply control circuit 105 does not supply an enable signal to the power supply circuit 106, the power supply control circuit 105 does not supply an enable signal to the power supply circuit 106 when the power supply switch 104 is in a disconnected state, that is, when the power supply switch 104 does not supply an on connection state signal.

[0020] The power supply circuit 106 of this embodiment is in an operating state when an enable signal is supplied from the power supply control circuit 105, and performs processing to generate drive power to be supplied to each part from the supplied commercial power source and supply it to each part. Moreover, the power supply circuit 106 is in an inoperable state when an enable signal is not supplied from the power supply control circuit 105, and does not generate or supply drive power. In this way, the power supply circuit 106 of this embodiment is switched between operating and inoperating by the power supply control circuit 105.

[0021] Also, for example, suppose that a power outage or other trouble occurs that causes commercial power to be cut off from the UTM device 1, causing the UTM device 1 to shut down, and then the trouble is resolved. In this case, the power switch 104 remains connected, so the supply of commercial power to the power supply circuit 106 is resumed. At this time, the power supply control circuit 105 controls the power supply circuit 106 so that it can be restarted.

[0022] Furthermore, in the power supply circuit section of this embodiment, the function of the power supply control circuit 105 can stop the operation of the power supply circuit 106 and shut down the system by, for example, a shutdown command (power off command) sent from the console PC3. In this case, if the power switch 104 remains connected, the system will automatically restart as described above, so the system is designed to maintain the shutdown state and to restart the system at any timing. Details of this function will be described later.

[0023] In this embodiment, the power supply control circuit 105 is configured as a CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device). A CPLD is a type of programmable logic device, which is an integrated circuit whose internal logic circuit can be defined and changed by the user after manufacture. A CPLD has an intermediate integration level between a PAL (Programmable Array Logic) and an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), and has the architectural features of both. The power supply circuit 106 is configured as an IC (integrated circuit).

[0024] 2, the control unit 103 is connected to a LAN port 111 and a LAN connection end 112, and to a LAN port 113 and a LAN connection end 114. The user PCs 2(1), 2(2), ..., 2(n) shown in FIG. 1 are connected to the LAN connection end 112 to form a LAN 4, and the console PC 3 shown in FIG. 1 is connected to the LAN connection end 114 to form a LAN 5. Therefore, the UTM device 1 communicates with each of the user PCs 2(1), 2(2), ..., 2(n) through the LAN port 111 and the LAN connection end 112. The UTM device 1 also communicates with the console PC 3 through the LAN port 113 and the LAN connection end 114.

[0025] The UTM device 1 also includes a P2P countermeasure unit 121, an HP access restriction unit 122, an antivirus unit 123, an e-mail countermeasure unit 124, an IPS / IDS unit 125, and a firewall unit 126 as units that realize the function of a security monitoring device. The P2P countermeasure unit 121 realizes a function of prohibiting P2P connections with parties that do not implement security measures or with malicious parties. Note that "P2P" stands for "Peer to Peer," and refers to direct communication between equal parties via the Internet. The function of the P2P countermeasure unit 121 realizes a function of preventing one-to-one file exchanges, such as images, with problematic parties, and preventing virus infection from the other party.

[0026] The HP (Home Page) access restriction unit 122, for example, realizes a function of selecting a pre-specified homepage category and prohibiting access to homepages that fall under that category. For example, URL filtering of inappropriate sites such as gambling sites, adult sites, and drug-related sites is possible. The virus protection unit 123 verifies the response of a Web page (virus checks). More specifically, the virus protection unit 123 realizes a function of monitoring communications when browsing a Web page and verifying (checking) whether images to be viewed or files to be downloaded contain viruses.

[0027] The mail countermeasure unit 124 realizes a function of blocking received e-mails with unwanted advertisements or virus attachments. The IPS / IDS unit 125 realizes a function of preventing inappropriate intrusions and notifying inappropriate intrusions. Here, IPS is an abbreviation for Intrusion Prevention System, and IDS is an abbreviation for Intrusion Detection System. The IPS / IDS unit 125 can defend against attacks by so-called malware such as worms and Trojan horses.

[0028] The firewall unit 126 determines whether or not to supply data to the in-house network based on the data communication status, the software being used, etc., and realizes the function of protecting the system from attacks and unauthorized access from external networks. In this way, the UTM device 1 is equipped with multiple different security functions in a single piece of hardware, thereby enabling it to comprehensively deal with threats that may arise in the communication environment.

[0029] [Power supply circuit function] 3 is a block diagram for explaining the function of the power supply circuit section including the power supply control circuit 105 according to the embodiment. As described above, the power supply circuit section according to this embodiment makes it possible to stop the operation of the power supply circuit 106 and shut down the circuit by a shutdown command from the console PC3. In this case, the power supply circuit section maintains the shutdown state even if the power switch 104 remains connected, and can be restarted at any timing. The function of the power supply circuit section will be specifically explained.

[0030] The power switch 104 is a rocker switch, and is composed of a seesaw-shaped switch operation unit 1041 and a contact unit 1042 having fixed contacts a, b and a movable contact c. In this example, the fixed contact a is a connection contact connected to the power supply circuit 6, and the fixed contact b is a cut-off contact not connected to the power supply circuit 106. When a user operates the switch operation unit 1041 to switch from an off state to an on state, the movable contact c of the contact unit 1042 is connected to the fixed contact (connection contact) a, and the connected state is maintained.

[0031] In this case, a connection state signal that turns on (high level) is supplied from power switch 104 to power supply control circuit 105, enabling operation control section 1051 of power supply control circuit 105 to determine that power switch 104 has been switched to the connection state. When operation control section 1051 of power supply control circuit 105 determines that power switch 104 has switched to the connection state, it supplies an enable signal to power supply circuit 106 to put power supply circuit 106 into an operation state.

[0032] Furthermore, when a user operates the switch operation unit 1041 to switch from an on state to an off state, the movable contact c of the contact unit 1042 is connected to the fixed contact (cut-off contact) b, and the cut-off state is maintained. In this case, the power switch 104 no longer supplies an on-connection state signal to the power control circuit 105, so that the operation control unit 1051 of the power control circuit 105 can determine that the power switch 104 has been switched to the cut-off state. When the power switch 104 is cut off, the operation control unit 1051 of the power control circuit 105 stops supplying an enable signal to the power supply circuit 106. This causes the power supply circuit 106 to enter a non-operating state.

[0033] In this way, when the power switch 104 is switched from the disconnected state to the connected state, commercial power is supplied to the power supply circuit 106, and the power supply circuit 106 is put into an operating state by an enable signal from the power control circuit 105. As a result, a driving power supply is formed in the power supply circuit 106 to be supplied to each unit, and the UTM device 1 is put into an operating state by being supplied to each unit. Conversely, when the power switch 104 is switched from the connected state to the disconnected state, commercial power is not supplied to the power supply circuit 106, and the enable signal is no longer supplied to the power supply circuit 106 from the power control circuit 105, so that the power supply circuit 106 stops operating. As a result, driving power is no longer supplied from the power supply circuit 106 to each unit of the UTM device 1, and the UTM device 1 is put into a stopped state.

[0034] Furthermore, it is assumed that the power switch 104 is in a connected state, driving power is supplied from the power supply circuit 106 to each section of the UTM device 1, and the UTM device 1 is in an operating state. At this time, it is assumed that a shutdown command (power off command) arrives from the console PC3 to the UTM device 1. The shutdown command is received via the LAN connection terminal 114 and the LAN port 113 and supplied to the control unit 103, and in response, the control unit 103 instructs the power control circuit 105 to perform a shutdown.

[0035] In this way, the operation control unit 1051 of the power supply control circuit 105 that has been instructed to shut down controls the flag setting release unit 1052 of the power supply control circuit 105 to set the maintain flag to 1 (on). In this embodiment, when the maintain flag is 1 (on), this indicates that the shutdown (power off) is due to a command. In other words, when the maintain flag is 1 (on), this indicates that the shutdown (power off) is due to the arrival of a command, rather than the power switch 104 being turned off to put the device in a cut-off state, or the device being forcibly put in a cut-off state due to a power outage or the like.

[0036] In this case, even if the operation control unit 1051 receives an on-connection state signal from the power switch 104 and can determine that the power switch 104 is in a connected state, the maintain flag is 1 (on) and therefore does not supply an enable signal to the power supply circuit 106. Therefore, even if the power switch 104 is in a connected state and commercial power is being supplied to the power supply circuit 106, if the maintain flag is 1 (on), the power supply circuit 106 does not enter an operating state and the shutdown state is maintained.

[0037] In this way, suppose that when the power switch 104 is in the connected state and the UTM device 1 is in the operating state, and the UTM device 1 is shut down due to the arrival of a command from the console PC3, it is desired to restart the UTM device 1. In this case, the power switch 104, which is in the connected state, is operated to be turned off, and the power switch 104 is switched to a state that maintains the cut-off state. Furthermore, if the power switch 104 is switched from the connected state to the cut-off state and the maintain flag is 1 (on), the operation control unit 1051 controls the flag setting release unit 1052 to set the maintain flag to 0 (off).

[0038] As a result, the power supply circuit unit is shut down by turning off the power switch 104. Therefore, by switching the power switch 104 on and connecting the power switch 104, it is possible to power the UTM device 1 back on and restart it.

[0039] 4 is a diagram for explaining the control contents of the operation control unit 1051 of the power supply control circuit 105 according to the embodiment. As shown in the first row of FIG. 4, it is assumed that the operation control unit 1051 determines that the power switch 104 is in a connected state and the maintain flag is 0 (off). In this case, the operation control unit 1051 supplies an enable signal to the power supply circuit 106 to perform normal power-on processing. Also, as shown in the second row of FIG. 4, it is assumed that the operation control unit 1051 determines that the power switch 104 is in a connected state and the maintain flag is 1 (on). In this case, as described above, since the UTM device 1 is in a state where it has been shut down due to the arrival of a command, the operation control unit 1051 stops supplying an enable signal to the power supply circuit 106 and maintains the shutdown state.

[0040] Also, as shown in the third line of Fig. 4, when the power switch 104 is in the cut-off state and the maintain flag is 0 (off), this is information that the power switch 104 has been turned off to cause a shutdown. In this state, the operation control unit 1051 maintains the shutdown state without carrying out any processing. Note that, as shown in the fourth line of Fig. 4, a state in which the power switch 104 is in the cut-off state and the maintain flag is set to 1 (on) does not occur. This is because the maintain flag is always set to 0 (off) when the power switch 104 is in the cut-off state.

[0041] 4, when the UTM device 1 is shut down by a command from the console PC3 or the like, the maintain flag allows the shutdown state to be maintained even if the power switch 104 is in the connected state. As described above, if the power switch 104 is turned off, the maintain flag is also set to 0 (off), so that the power can be turned back on at any time via the power switch 104, and the UTM device 1 can be returned to an operating state.

[0042] [Summary of power supply control circuit processing] 5 is a flowchart for explaining the processing performed in the power supply control circuit 105 according to the embodiment. First, in the UTM device 1, it is assumed that the power supply switch 104 is in a cut-off state and the maintenance flag is 0 (off) (step S101). The operation control unit 1051 of the power supply control circuit 105 waits for the power supply switch 104 to be operated to be turned on, thereby switching to a connected state (step S102). In the determination processing of step S102, it is assumed that the operation control unit 1051 determines that the power supply switch 104 is turned on (entered into a connected state) based on a connection state signal from the power supply switch 104.

[0043] In this case, the operation control unit 1051 supplies an enable signal to the power supply circuit 106 to start up the power supply circuit (step S103). Since commercial power is supplied to the power supply circuit 106 by turning the power switch 104 to the connected state, the power supply circuit 106 generates drive power for each unit and supplies it to each unit, thereby putting the UTM device 1 into an operating state (step S104).

[0044] Next, the operation control unit 1051 of the power supply control circuit 105 determines whether an event has occurred that will shut down the UTM device 1 (step S105), and maintains the operating state of the UTM device 1 until the occurrence of an event that will cause a shutdown. Possible events that will cause a shutdown include when the power switch 104 is turned off, when a shutdown command is received from the console PC3 or the like, or when commercial power is no longer supplied due to a power outage or the like.

[0045] Assume that it is determined in the determination process of step S105 that a shutdown event has occurred. In this case, if the shutdown event is not a forced shutdown due to a stop in the supply of commercial power due to a power outage or the like, the operation control unit 1051 determines whether or not the shutdown event is a command instruction from the console PC3 or the like (step S106). Assume that it is determined in the determination process of step S106 that the shutdown event is a command instruction from the console PC3 or the like. In this case, the operation control unit 1051 controls the flag setting release unit 1052 to set the maintain flag to 1 (on) (step S107), stops the supply of an enable signal to the power supply circuit 106, and puts the power supply circuit 106 in a non-operating state. As a result, the supply of drive power to each unit of the UTM device 1 is stopped, and the UTM device 1 goes into a shutdown state (step S108).

[0046] Assume that in the determination process of step S106, it is determined that the command instruction is not from the console PC 3 or the like. In this case, the operation control unit 1051 stops the supply of the enable signal to the power supply circuit 106, and puts the UTM device 1 into a shutdown state (step S108). Also, if the forced shutdown is due to a stop in the supply of commercial power due to a power outage or the like, the UTM device 1 is immediately put into a shutdown state (step S108). Therefore, in the case where the power switch 104 is turned off to maintain the shut-off state, or in the case where the supply of commercial power is stopped due to a power outage or the like, the maintain flag is not set to 1 (on).

[0047] Therefore, unless shutdown is initiated by a command, the maintain flag remains at 0 (off) (step S109), and the UTM device 1 returns to the initial state (step S101), as indicated by the bold arrow. Therefore, if the power switch 104 is turned off to maintain the disconnected state, the power switch is turned on and awaits a connected state. Also, if the supply of commercial power is stopped due to a power outage or the like, the system waits for the supply of commercial power to be resumed, and when the supply of commercial power is resumed, the power switch 104 is in a connected state, so the system is automatically restarted.

[0048] Furthermore, when the shutdown state is entered by a command instruction from the console PC3 or the like, the maintain flag is 1 (on) (step S109), so the processes of steps S110 to S111 are performed. In this case, the operation control unit 1051 is in a state where a connection state signal indicating an on state is being supplied from the power switch 104. In this state, the power control circuit 105 is made operable by a drive power source from, for example, a commercial power source.

[0049] In this case, since the maintain flag is 1 (on) (step S109), the operation control unit 1051 of the power supply control circuit 105 waits for the power switch 104 to be turned off and enter a cut-off state (step S110). During this time, that is, until the power switch 104 is turned off, the operation control unit 1051 does not supply an enable signal to the power supply circuit 106, even if an on-state connection state signal indicating that the power switch 104 is in a connected state is supplied. This maintains the power supply circuit 106 in a non-operating state, and maintains the UTM device 1 in a shutdown state.

[0050] In step S110, it is assumed that the power switch 104 is turned off, that is, the connection state signal of the ON state from the power switch 104 is no longer supplied. In this case, the operation control unit 1051 controls the flag setting release unit 1052 to set the maintain flag to 0 (OFF) (step S111), and returns to the initial state (step S101). In this case, the supply of drive power to the power control circuit 105 is also stopped. As a result, even if the power is shut down due to the arrival of a shutdown command and the state is maintained, the power switch 104 is turned off, and the power circuit unit is returned to the initial state. As a result, the power switch 104 can be used to restart (restart the power) at any timing.

[0051] In this manner, in the power supply control circuit 105 of this embodiment, the internal logic circuit is defined so that the processing shown in Fig. 5 can be executed. Therefore, the processing shown in Fig. 5 is the content of a program executed in the power supply control circuit 105. When the power supply control circuit 105 is shut down by a command, the power supply switch 104 is in a connected state and commercial power is being supplied, so that the power supply control circuit 105 is in an operable state.

[0052] [Effects of the embodiment] In the case of the power supply control circuit 105 of this embodiment, when the power switch 104 is turned off to maintain the cut-off state, and when the supply of commercial power is stopped due to a power outage or the like, the loop indicated by the thick arrow in FIG. 5 is followed. Thus, the power supply can be controlled as in the conventional case. However, by adding steps S106 and S107, a loop is added that returns to step S101 via steps S109 to S111. With this added loop, when the shutdown state is entered by a command instruction from the console PC3 or the like, the shutdown state can be maintained until the power switch 104 is switched to the cut-off state, even if the power switch 104 is in the connected state. Also, by switching the power switch 104 to the cut-off state, restart can be performed using the power switch 104.

[0053] [Variations] In the above embodiment, the power switch 104 has been described as a rocker switch, but this is not limited to this. For example, even a push button switch can be used as a power switch as long as it can switch between a connected state and a disconnected state with a single press and maintain that state. In other words, any switch known as a position-holding switch or an alternate switch can be used as a power switch.

[0054] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the power supply control circuit and the power supply circuit are described as being separate circuits, but the power supply control circuit and the power supply circuit can also be configured as an integrated circuit.

[0055] Also, the power supply control circuit 105 has been described as being configured as a CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device), but is not limited thereto. If the circuit scale allows, it can be configured as a PAL (Programmable Array Logic), or if the circuit scale is large, it can be configured as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The power supply control circuit 105 may also be configured as an integrated circuit, such as a so-called microcontroller. That is, the power supply control circuit 105 can be configured as various programmable logic devices (integrated circuits) capable of executing the processes shown in FIG. 5 by allowing the user (the manufacturer of the UTM device 1 in this case) to define and change the internal logic circuit after manufacture.

[0056] Also, in the above-described embodiment, the maintain flag is 0 (off) in the normal state, and is set to 1 (on) when a shutdown is issued by command, and then when the power switch 104 is switched to the cut-off state, the maintain flag is set to 0 (off). However, this is not limited to the above. The maintain flag may be 1 (off) in the normal state, and is set to 0 (off) when a shutdown is issued by command, and then when the power switch 104 is switched to the cut-off state, the maintain flag may be set to 1 (on). In this case, when the maintain flag is off (0), the power supply circuit 106 is controlled to maintain its non-operating state.

[0057] In the above embodiment, the power supply circuit 106 is switched between an operating state and a non-operating state depending on whether an enable signal from the operation control section 1051 of the power supply control circuit 105 is supplied to the power supply circuit 106. However, this is not limited to this. It is also possible to control the power supply circuit 106 to be in an operating state by an enable signal from the operation control section 1051, and to be in a non-operating state by a disable signal from the operation control section 1051.

[0058] In the above embodiment, the case where the system is shut down due to the arrival of a shutdown command from the console PC3 has been described as an example, but the shutdown due to a command is not limited to this. For example, the shutdown may be performed at a time determined by a timer setting, or when there is no access from any of the user PCs 2(1) to 2(n) for a predetermined time or more (for example, one hour or more), the control unit 103 may instruct the power supply control circuit 105 to shut down.

[0059] That is, a shutdown by command may be due to an external factor, such as the arrival of a shutdown command from the console PC3, or due to an internal factor based on the control of the control unit 103 that detects that a certain condition has been satisfied. For this reason, although not shown in Fig. 2, the UTM device 1 is provided with a clock circuit with a timer function to detect the occurrence of an internal factor.

[0060] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the power supply control circuit according to the present invention is applied to the UTM device 1, but the present invention is not limited to this. The power supply control circuit according to the present invention is applicable to home appliances, PC peripherals, office equipment, business equipment, etc. In particular, it is suitable for application to various server devices such as small telephone exchanges called main devices, and SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) servers.

[0061] [others] As can be seen from the above description of the embodiment, the functions of the discrimination means, first control means, and second control means of the claims are realized by the operation control unit 1051 of the power supply control circuit 105 of the embodiment. Also, the functions of the flag setting means and flag resetting means of the claims are realized by the flag setting resetting unit 1052 of the power supply control circuit 105 of the embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0062] 1...UTM device, 101...connection end, 102...communication I / F, 103...control unit, 104...power switch, 1041...switch operation unit, 1042...contact unit, a, b...fixed contact, c...movable contact, 105...power control circuit, 1051...operation control unit, 1052...flag setting release unit, 106...power supply circuit, 111, 113...LAN port, 112, 114...LAN connection end, 121...P2P countermeasure unit, 122...HP access restriction unit, 123...virus countermeasure unit, 124...email countermeasure unit, 125...IPS / IDS unit, 126...firewall unit, 2(1), 2(2) to 2(n)...user PC, 3...console PC, 4...LAN, 5...LAN, 6...Internet, 7...HTTP server device, 8...email server device

Claims

1. A position-holding type power switch is connected, which switches the power supply on / off in response to a user's instruction and maintains a power supply connection state when turned on and maintains a power supply disconnection state when turned off; A determination means for determining a state of the power switch; a first control means for controlling the power supply circuit to be in an operating state when the determination result of the determination means is in a connected state; a flag setting means for setting a predetermined flag to a state indicating that the power supply is turned off by a command when a command for turning off the power supply arrives while the determination result of the determination means is a connected state; a second control means for controlling the power supply circuit to be in a non-operating state when the predetermined flag is set by the flag setting means to a state indicating that the power supply is turned off by a command, and for controlling the power supply circuit to be maintained in the non-operating state until a determination result of the determination means changes to a cut-off state; A power supply control circuit comprising:

2. 2. The power supply control circuit according to claim 1, and a flag resetting means for resetting the state of the predetermined flag when the result of the determination by the determining means indicates a connected state and the predetermined flag is set to a state indicating that the power is turned off by a command, and when the result of the determination by the determining means changes to a cut-off state. A power supply control circuit comprising:

Images