Storage Power Cycle Management for Reliability and Energy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional information processing devices with HDDs face premature malfunction due to frequent power cycles, leading to unnecessary replacement and increased power consumption, especially when transitioning to a sleep mode, and the use of SSDs does not allow optimal usage of storage life or power conservation.
Innovation Solution
An information processing apparatus that dynamically sets a minimum off/on time interval for the power supply of storage devices based on their remaining life and the number of power cycles allowed, ensuring efficient transition to a sleep mode and optimizing power consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If the power supply of the storage device is turned off frequently to save power, then power consumption is reduced, but the storage device malfunctions prematurely due to exceeding its on/off cycle limit
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the off/on time interval adjustable rather than fixed. The control unit dynamically changes the minimum off/on time interval based on the storage device's remaining life and remaining on/off cycle capacity, allowing the system to optimize between power saving and reliability as the storage device ages
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of off/on time interval from a constant value to a variable value that depends on the storage device's remaining life and remaining cycle count. This parameter change allows the system to adapt the power cycle frequency to the actual condition of the storage device
2Loss of energy
If a constant off/on time interval is used for power saving, then power consumption is reduced, but storage life is not sufficiently utilized when using SSDs or HDDs with longer life times
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the off/on time interval based on the storage device's remaining life, allowing longer intervals for devices with longer remaining life (like SSDs) to maximize their utilization while still achieving power savings
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit receives feedback about the storage device's remaining life and remaining on/off cycle count, and uses this feedback to adjust the off/on time interval accordingly, ensuring optimal balance between power saving and storage life utilization
3Reliability
If the off/on time interval is extended to preserve storage life, then storage reliability is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the off/on time interval parameter dynamically based on the storage device's condition, allowing shorter intervals when the device has high remaining life and cycle capacity, and longer intervals when the device is approaching its limits, thus balancing reliability and power consumption
4Device complexity
If a fixed off/on time interval is used, then the control logic is simple, but it cannot adapt to different storage devices with different life times and cycle limits
Solution Approach 1:
The control system transitions from a static fixed interval approach to a dynamic adaptive approach that automatically adjusts the off/on time interval based on the specific characteristics of the installed storage device, enhancing versatility without significantly increasing complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-service by automatically obtaining the storage device's remaining life and remaining on/off cycle count, and autonomously determining the appropriate off/on time interval without requiring manual configuration or user intervention
Data Source
AI summary
An information processing apparatus is equipped with a storage and obtains a remaining life time of the information processing apparatus, sets a minimum off/on time interval for a power supply of an equipped storage based on the obtained remaining life time of the information processing apparatus and a remaining number of times of power supply of the storage can be turned off/on, and controls so that a transition is made to a sleep mode in a state in which the minimum off/on time interval for the power supply of the storage that is set is ensured.