Adaptive Status Indicator Power Management for Network Devices
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
High-density network devices waste significant energy due to unobserved status indicator lights, such as LEDs, which remain active even when no human operator is present, leading to substantial energy consumption and costs, especially in large-scale enterprise networks.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a power management system that configures status indicator lights to operate in a low power consumption state by default and transition to a normal power state only when specific conditions are met, such as the presence of an operator, error detection, or scheduled business hours, using mechanisms like motion detection, environmental sensors, and configurable timeout periods.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If status indicator lights remain active continuously, then technicians can easily monitor link status and troubleshoot issues, but energy consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic power management for status indicator lights by transitioning between different power states (fully on, dimmed, off) based on detected conditions such as operator presence, error states, and time of day. This resolves the contradiction by making the lighting system adaptive rather than static, maintaining full functionality when needed while conserving energy during normal operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes operational parameters of the indicator lights including brightness level and power state based on various conditions. By adjusting these parameters dynamically, the system maintains troubleshooting capability when required while significantly reducing energy consumption during routine operation, thus resolving the contradiction between reliability and energy use.
2Use of energy by moving object
If status indicator lights are dimmed or turned off to save energy, then energy consumption decreases, but technicians have reduced visibility for monitoring and troubleshooting
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts illumination intensity based on detected conditions rather than maintaining a fixed state. When operators are present or error conditions occur, the lights transition to higher brightness states for optimal visibility. During normal operation without operators, the lights dim or turn off to conserve energy, thus resolving the contradiction between energy consumption and visibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs periodic assessment of operational conditions (operator presence, error states, time of day) to determine appropriate lighting states. This periodic evaluation ensures that visibility is maintained when needed while allowing energy-saving dimming or shutdown during appropriate periods, resolving the contradiction between illumination intensity and energy consumption.
3Loss of information
If all status indicator lights are activated continuously, then complete system status information is always visible, but power costs increase substantially in large-scale networks
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies different power states to different indicator lights based on local conditions and priorities. Critical error indicators maintain higher visibility while less critical status indicators may be dimmed or turned off. This selective approach ensures essential system status information remains available while significantly reducing overall power consumption in large-scale network devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The system periodically evaluates system state and operator presence to determine which indicator lights should be active at any given time. This periodic assessment allows the system to maintain complete status information availability when needed while allowing selective dimming or shutdown of non-critical indicators during normal operation, thus resolving the contradiction between information availability and energy loss.
4Reliability
If status indicator lights operate at full power continuously, then optimal visibility and information display are maintained, but environmental impact increases due to higher energy consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts its operational state based on actual needs, transitioning between full power, dimmed, and off states. This ensures optimal status information display quality when operators are present or errors occur, while minimizing energy consumption and environmental impact during normal operation without operators, thus resolving the contradiction between display quality and environmental impact.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes operational parameters including power state and brightness level based on detected conditions. By adjusting these parameters dynamically, the system maintains high-quality status information display when required while reducing energy consumption and associated environmental impact during appropriate periods, resolving the contradiction between reliability and harmful environmental effects.
Data Source
AI summary
The embodiments described herein present methods and apparatus for an energy-saving status indicator. A method includes receiving a configuration of a first power consumption state for a status indicator light in a network device. The method then activates the first power consumption state using the configuration. After detecting a condition, the method activates a second power consumption state for the status indicator light. The transition from the first power state to the second power state may be from a low power state to a normal operating state or from a normal operating state to a low power state in various embodiments. Other embodiments are described.