JP7633599B2 - Power supply control circuit - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a power supply control circuit installed in an electronic device, such as a Unified Threat Management (UTM) device.

In the power control of a personal computer, for example, if no operation is performed for a predetermined period of time, the core power of the control unit (CPU unit) is turned off and the computer transitions to a standby state in which only the so-called I/O power, which is the power source for the connection part with peripheral devices, is supplied. As a result, if the keyboard or the so-called mouse (pointing device) is operated, the supply of core power can be resumed after the computer is restored (reset) to the state immediately before the standby state, and use can be resumed quickly. Patent Document 1, described later, discloses an invention relating to an information processing device having a device and a method for managing its return, which can return from a variety of power states such as a standby state (suspended state), a hibernation state, and a power-off state.

As mentioned above, standby mode (suspended mode) refers to a state in which some of the computer's functions are stopped and the computer waits in a power-saving mode. Unlike a normal power-off, processing can be resumed quickly the next time the computer is used. Hibernation mode refers to a state in which the computer's execution state is saved and the power is turned off, allowing the state before hibernation to be quickly restored the next time the computer is started. All contents in memory are saved to storage (external storage device), the power is turned off, and the next time the computer is started, the normal startup process is skipped and the saved contents are written back to memory, allowing the computer to quickly resume operation.

JP 2008-71066 A

Some information processing devices do not need to be switched into the standby state described above because they do not need to be started up by external factors. For example, in the case of a UTM device installed in a company, it must be kept running at all times during business hours and does not need to be in standby state during business hours. For this reason, outside of business hours, the system administrator can simply turn off the power to the UTM device and data server to turn them off. However, since the time each employee finishes their daily work varies, assuming that the system administrator will turn off the power would place a heavy burden on the system administrator.

In view of the above, the object of the present invention is to provide a power supply control circuit that can reduce power consumption and achieve rapid restart without increasing the burden on the system administrator in an information processing device that does not need to transition to a so-called standby state.

In order to solve the above problems, a power supply control circuit according to the present invention comprises:
A power supply control circuit that controls the supply of driving power to a control unit of an information processing device,
a first control means for controlling a power supply circuit to turn off a power supply to a core portion of the control unit when a notification is received from the control unit that an event for transitioning to a standby state has occurred;
a second control means for controlling the power supply circuit to turn off all power to the control unit after the power to a core portion of the control unit is turned off and the control unit returns to an initial state;
A determination means for determining the state of a power switch;
a third control means for controlling the power supply circuit to resume the supply of power to a portion of the control unit that performs a reset operation when the determination means determines that the power switch has been turned on after all power to the control unit has been turned off, thereby executing the reset operation;
and a fourth control means for controlling the power supply circuit to turn on a power supply for a core portion of the control unit after the reset operation.

According to the power supply control circuit of the invention described in claim 1, when an event occurs that transitions to a standby state, the first control means controls the power supply circuit to turn off the power to the core part of the control unit of the information processing device. In this state, the power to the part of the control unit that is to be returned to the initial state is not turned off, and after the operation of returning to the initial state is performed, the second control means controls the power supply circuit to turn off all power to the control unit. This brings the information processing device into a power-off state. After this, when the determination means determines that the power switch has been turned on, the third control means controls the power supply circuit to resume the supply of power to the part of the control unit that performs the reset operation, and the reset operation is performed. After the reset operation, the fourth control means controls the power supply circuit to turn on the power to the core part of the control unit. This brings the information processing device into an operating state.

According to this invention, in an information processing device that does not need to transition to a so-called standby state, when an event occurs that transitions to the standby state, the control unit is reset to its initial state and all power to the control unit is turned off. This makes it possible to reduce power consumption without increasing the burden on the system administrator. When the power switch is then turned on, first the supply of power is resumed to the part of the control unit that performs the reset operation, and after the reset operation, the supply of all power to the control unit is resumed. This makes it possible to quickly restart the information processing device even when the power is turned on, at the same rate as when it is returned from the standby state.

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. 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. 2 is a block diagram for explaining a process performed in a power supply control circuit according to the embodiment; FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining a process performed in a power supply control circuit according to the embodiment. 1 is a block diagram for explaining a power supply circuit section including a power switch 104A which is a rocker switch, a power supply control circuit 105A, and a power supply circuit 106. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the control content in another example of the power supply control circuit according to the embodiment. FIG.

The following describes an embodiment of the power supply control circuit of the present invention with reference to the drawings. In the embodiment described below, the power supply control circuit of the present invention is described as being mounted on a UTM (Unified Threat Management) device, which is an example of an electronic device.

[System environment in which UTM device is used]
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. The UTM device 1 is a comprehensive threat management device (security monitoring device) configured by mounting a plurality of different security functions on a single piece of hardware.

The UTM device 1 is connected to multiple user PCs (Personal Computers) 2(1), 2(2), ..., 2(n) via a LAN (Local Area Network) 4, and to a console PC 3 via a LAN 5, forming a security monitoring system. 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 employees, and the console PC 3 is a maintenance PC used mainly by a system administrator (maintenance staff), etc.

As shown in FIG. 1, the UTM device 1 is connected to the Internet 6. On the Internet 6, there are numerous HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) server devices 7 and numerous mail server devices 8. Various web pages stored on 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.

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 actually includes a sending server device, a receiving server device, a DNS (Domain Name System) server device, etc.

The console PC3 is mainly used for the maintenance and 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 it down. After shutting down the UTM device 1, maintenance such as replacing the board can be performed, and after rebooting after maintenance, tests can be performed on the UTM device 1 through the console PC3.

[Example of configuration of UTM device 1]
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 the data 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.

Although not shown, the control unit 103 is configured by connecting a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), and non-volatile memory via a bus, and realizes the function of controlling each part of the UTM device 1. The ROM stores 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 stores 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.

The power switch 104, the power control circuit 105, and the power supply circuit 106 constitute a power circuit section for supplying drive power to each section of the UTM device 1. The power switch 104 is located between the commercial power source and the power supply circuit 106, and is a push button switch that maintains the connection between the commercial power source and the power supply circuit 106 when pressed during stoppage, and maintains the disconnection between the commercial power source and the power supply circuit 106 when pressed during startup. The power switch 104 also supplies a connection state signal to the power control circuit 105 that is, for example, on when in a connected state and off when in a disconnected state.

The power supply control circuit 105 determines whether the power supply switch 104 is in a connected state (whether it is in a connected state or a cut-off state) based on the 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 cut-off state, that is, when the power supply switch 104 does not supply an on-connection state signal, the power supply control circuit 105 does not supply an enable signal to the power supply circuit 106.

The power supply circuit 106 in this embodiment is in an operating state when an enable signal is supplied from the power supply control circuit 105, and performs processing to form a drive power supply to be supplied to each part from the supplied commercial power supply and supply it to each part. Furthermore, when an enable signal is not supplied from the power supply control circuit 105, the power supply circuit 106 is in an inoperable state, and does not form or supply a drive power supply. In this way, the power supply circuit 106 in this embodiment is switched between operating and inoperable by the power supply control circuit 105.

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 that allows the user to define and change the internal logic circuit after manufacturing. A CPLD has an intermediate integration level between a PAL (Programmable Array Logic) and an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), and has the characteristics of both architectures. The power supply circuit 106 is configured as an IC (integrated circuit).

The clock circuit 107 provides the current date, current day of the week, and current time. The clock circuit 107 also realizes an alarm function that notifies the control unit 103 when the time set by the control unit 103 arrives. The clock circuit 107 also realizes a timer function that measures the time set by the control unit 103, and notifies the control unit 103 when the set time has elapsed.

As shown in FIG. 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 LAN 4, and the console PC 3 shown in FIG. 1 is connected to the LAN connection end 114 to form 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.

The UTM device 1 also includes a P2P countermeasure unit 121, a HP access restriction unit 122, a virus countermeasure unit 123, a mail countermeasure unit 124, an IPS/IDS unit 125, and a firewall unit 126 as parts that realize the function of a security monitoring device. The P2P countermeasure unit 121 realizes the 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 functions such as preventing one-to-one file exchanges, such as images, with problematic parties, and preventing virus infection from the other party.

The HP (Home Page) access restriction unit 122, for example, realizes a function of prohibiting access to homepages that fall into a pre-specified homepage category by selecting that category. For example, it is possible to filter URLs to inappropriate sites such as gambling sites, adult sites, and drug-related sites. The virus protection unit 123 verifies the response of the 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.

The mail countermeasure unit 124 realizes the function of blocking received e-mails that have unwanted advertisements or viruses attached. The IPS/IDS unit 125 realizes the function of preventing inappropriate intrusions and notifying of 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.

The firewall unit 126 determines whether or not to supply data to the in-house network based on the data communication status and the software being used, and provides 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, allowing it to comprehensively deal with threats that arise in the communication environment.

[Processing performed in the power supply control circuit]
3 is a block diagram for explaining the processing performed in the power supply control circuit of the embodiment. First, as shown in the bottom part of FIG. 3, it is assumed that the UTM device 1 is already in an operating state (step S1). If the UTM device 1 is an information processing device such as a personal computer, the control unit 103 of the UTM device 1 can detect when an event occurs in the device that will cause the device to transition to a standby state.

Specifically, the control unit 103 assumes that a predetermined time or more (e.g., one hour or more) has passed during which no communication has been performed with any of the user PCs 2(1)-2(n) connected via the LAN connection end 112 and the LAN port 111. The control unit 103 detects this as an event that should cause the PC to transition to a standby state. Also, the control unit 103 assumes that a predetermined time or more (e.g., 30 minutes or more) has passed during which no communication has been performed with any of the user PCs 2(1)-2(n) and that the current time is past 9:00 p.m. The control unit 103 detects this as an event that should cause the PC to transition to a standby state. Such detection is possible through cooperation between the control unit 103 and the clock circuit 107.

As described above, when the control unit 103 detects the occurrence of an event that requires a transition to a standby state, it notifies the power supply control circuit 105 of this. Upon receiving this notification, the power supply control circuit 105 first controls the power supply circuit 106 to turn off the power to the core portion of the control unit 103 (step S2). In this case, the core portion of the control unit 103 is, for example, the portion that decodes and executes instructions. In response, the supply of drive power to each portion of the UTM device 1 is also stopped.

In other words, the control unit 103 is formed using SoC (System on a Chip) technology, which is a design technique that implements many or all of the functions required for the operation of a system on a single semiconductor chip. Therefore, the power supply circuit 106 is capable of supplying drive power separately to the core part of the control unit 103 and the other SoC parts according to the control of the power supply control circuit 105.

When the power supply to the core part of the control unit 103 is turned off, for example in the case of a personal computer, it goes into a standby state as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 3. In this case, the CPU part of the personal computer performs a so-called power reset due to an external factor such as keyboard or mouse operation, and quickly restarts the device. The power reset in this case is a process that restores the state of the CPU part to the state it was in immediately before going into standby state.

However, in this embodiment of the UTM device 1, there is no standby state. Even if the power to the core part is turned off, the control unit 103 can return itself to the initial state (initial state) because the driving power is supplied to some of the SoC parts required for the process of returning itself to the initial state. For this reason, the control unit 103 returns itself to the initial state (step S3).

After the power supply of the core part of the control unit 103 is turned off (step S2) and the control unit 103 returns to the initial state (step S3), the power control circuit 105 controls the power supply circuit 106 to turn off the power supply of all SoC parts of the control unit 103 (step S4). As a result, the UTM device 1 goes into a power-off state after the control unit 103 returns to the initial state without going through a standby state (step S5). As described above, the power control circuit 105 can determine whether the connection state (on state) or the disconnection state (off state) is reached based on the connection state signal from the power switch 104. When the power switch 104 is in the disconnection state, the power-off state is maintained, and the device is configured to be restarted when the power switch 104 is switched to the connection state.

In other words, the power supply control circuit 105 determines that the power switch 104 has been pressed and switched to the connected state (on state) when the UTM device 1 is in the power-off state. In this case, the power supply control circuit 105 controls the power supply circuit 106 to resume the supply of power to the part of the SoC that performs the reset operation of the control unit 103 (step S6), and causes the control unit 103 to execute the reset operation (step S7).

As described above, since the control unit 103 has returned to the initial state in step S3, a reset operation is executed to return to the state before all power was turned off, i.e., the initial state (step S7). Since this reset operation is a reset operation returning to the initial state from the initial state, it is a pseudo-reset operation, so to speak, and is completed quickly. After this, the power supply control circuit 105 controls the power supply circuit 106 to turn on the power supply of the core part of the control unit 103 (step S8). This causes the UTM device 1 to return to the operating state (step S1).

As mentioned above, in the case of a personal computer, when an event occurs that should cause a transition to the standby state, as shown by the dotted line and dotted arrow in Figure 3, the supply of power to the core part is first stopped and the computer transitions to the standby state. In this case, the control unit 103 holds the operating state immediately before the standby state, and when a recovery event occurs due to an external factor or the like, the control unit 103 performs a so-called normal power reset to restore the state immediately before the standby state. After this, the supply of power to the core part is resumed and the computer returns to the operating state.

However, in this embodiment, as shown in steps S1 to S5 in FIG. 3, the UTM device 1 can transition to the power-off state without passing through the standby state indicated by the dotted line in FIG. 3 by using the function of the power supply control circuit 105. This makes it possible to reduce power consumption.

Furthermore, the UTM device 1 of this embodiment can quickly return to an operating state, as shown in steps S6 to S8, by the function of the power control circuit 105. That is, when the power switch is turned on from the power-off state, the power supply is first resumed to the part that enables the power reset, and the power reset is executed. After this, the power supply to the core part is resumed, thereby allowing the device to return to an operating state as quickly as when the power is turned on from the standby state.

[Summary of power supply control circuit processing]
4 is a flow chart for explaining the processing performed by the power supply control circuit 105 according to the embodiment. First, it is assumed that the UTM device 1 is powered on and is already in an operating state (step S101). The power supply control circuit 105 determines whether or not it has received a notification from the control unit 103 that an event has occurred that should cause the device to transition to a standby state (step S102). If it is determined in the determination process of step S102 that no notification has been received, the process returns to step S101 and the operating state is maintained.

When it is determined in the determination process of step S102 that the notification has been received, the power supply control circuit 105 controls the power supply circuit 106 to turn off the power to the core portion of the control unit 103 (step S103). This triggers the control unit 103 to return its own state to its initial state (step S104). Thereafter, the power supply control circuit 105 controls the power supply circuit 106 to turn off all SoC power supplies to the control unit 103 (step S105). This causes the UTM device 1 to enter a power-off state.

Next, when the power switch 104 is operated to enter a connected state, the power control circuit 105 determines whether the power switch 104 has entered a connected state based on the connection state signal from the power switch 104 (step S107). If the power switch 104 remains in a cut-off state, the determination process of step S107 cannot be performed, and the power-off state of step S106 is maintained.

When it is determined in the determination process of step S107 that the power switch 104 is in a connected state, the power supply control circuit 105 turns on the power supply to a part of the SoC portion of the control unit 103 that is to function in order to perform a reset operation of the control unit 103 (step S108). This triggers the control unit 103 to execute a reset process (step S109) and perform an operation to restore the state immediately before the power-off state was established, which in this example is the initial state. After this, the power supply control circuit 105 controls the power supply circuit 106 to resume the supply of power to the core portion of the control unit 103 (step S110). This causes the UTM device 1 to be restored to the operating state of step S101.

In this way, the UTM device 1 of this embodiment has the following functions:
Since the device can be switched to the power-off state without going through the standby state, power consumption can be reduced. Furthermore, the power supply control circuit 105 can execute a pseudo power reset process to return the device to the operating state as quickly as when the device is returned from the standby state.

In this way, in the power supply control circuit 105 of this embodiment, the internal logic circuit is defined so that the processing shown in FIG. 4 can be executed. Therefore, the processing shown in FIG. 4 becomes the contents of the program executed in the power supply control circuit 105.

[Another example of a power supply control circuit when the power switch is a rocker switch]
The power switch 104 of the UTM device 1 described above has been described as a push button switch that maintains a connection state between the commercial power source and the power supply circuit 106 when pressed while the device is stopped, and maintains a disconnection state between the commercial power source and the power supply circuit 106 when pressed while the device is running. However, a rocker switch may also be used as the power switch. A rocker switch switches between a connected state and a disconnected state of an electric circuit by alternately pressing both ends of an operating button like a seesaw. That is, a rocker switch maintains a connected state when turned on, and maintains a disconnected state when turned off.

When a rocker switch is used as the power switch, as described above, let us say that the entire power supply to the control unit 103 is turned off due to the occurrence of an event that transitions to the standby state. In this case, since the rocker switch has not been operated, the rocker switch remains connected, and commercial power is supplied to the power supply circuit, so the power is automatically restarted. In other words, since the power-off state cannot be maintained, power consumption cannot be reduced. Therefore, when a rocker switch is used as the power switch, it becomes necessary to change the configuration of the power control circuit.

Figure 5 is a block diagram for explaining the power supply circuit section consisting of the power switch 104A, which is a rocker switch, the power control circuit 105A, and the power supply circuit 106, and the power control circuit 105A is another example of the power supply control circuit 105 of the embodiment. As described above, the power supply control section in this example makes it possible to stop the operation of the power supply circuit 106 and transition to a power-off state based on a notification from the control section 103 of the occurrence of an event that should transition to a standby state, i.e., a command from the control section 103. In this case, the power supply control section can maintain the power-off state even if the power switch 104A, which is a rocker switch, remains connected, and can be restarted at any timing. The functions of the power supply circuit section will be specifically described.

As described above, the power switch 104A is a so-called rocker switch, and is composed of a seesaw-shaped switch operation unit 1041 and a contact unit 1042 with 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 106, and the fixed contact b is a cut-off contact that is 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.

In this case, a connection state signal that turns on (high level) is supplied from the power switch 104A to the power control circuit 105A, and the operation control unit 1051 of the power control circuit 105A is able to determine that the power switch 104 has been switched to the connection state. When the operation control unit 1051 of the power control circuit 105A determines that the power switch 104A has been switched to the connection state, it supplies an enable signal to the power supply circuit 106, putting the power supply circuit 106 into an operation state.

When the 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 (shut-off contact) b, and the shut-off state is maintained. In this case, the power switch 104A no longer supplies an on connection state signal to the power control circuit 105A, so that the operation control unit 1051 of the power control circuit 105A can determine that the power switch 104A has been switched to the shut-off state. When the power switch 104A is shut-off, the operation control unit 1051 of the power control circuit 105A stops supplying an enable signal to the power supply circuit 106. This causes the power supply circuit 106 to enter a non-operating state.

Therefore, when the power switch 104A 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 105A. As a result, a drive power supply is formed in the power supply circuit 106 to be supplied to each part, and the UTM device 1 is put into an operating state by being supplied to each part. Conversely, when the power switch 104A 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 105A, so that the power supply circuit 106 stops operating. As a result, drive power is no longer supplied from the power supply circuit 106 to each part of the UTM device 1, and the UTM device 1 is put into a stopped state.

Furthermore, the power switch 104A is connected, the power supply circuit 106 supplies drive power to each part of the UTM device 1, and the UTM device 1 is in an operating state. At this time, the control unit 103 notifies the occurrence of an event that should cause the device to transition to a standby state. In this way, in the UTM device of this embodiment, the notification of the occurrence of an event that should cause the device to transition to a standby state is the arrival of a command to power off. In this case, the operation control unit 1051 of the power control circuit 105A controls the flag setting release unit 1052 of the power control circuit 105A to set the maintenance flag to 1 (on). In this embodiment, when the maintenance flag is 1 (on), this indicates that the power has been turned off by a command. In other words, when the maintenance flag is 1 (on), this indicates that the power has been turned off by the arrival of a command, rather than by turning off the power switch 104A to a cut-off state, or by being forced into a cut-off state due to a power outage or the like.

In this case, as described with reference to FIG. 3, the operation control unit 1051 controls the power supply circuit 106 to turn off the power supply of the core part of the control unit 103 (step S2), return the control unit 103 to the initial state (step S3), and turn off the power supply of the entire SoC part of the control unit 103 (step S4). After this, even if the operation control unit 1051 receives a connection state signal from the power switch 104A to turn on the power supply circuit 106 and can determine that the power switch 104 is in a connected state, if the maintenance flag is 1 (on), the power supply circuit 106 does not enter an operating state and the power-off state is maintained, even if the power switch 104A is in a connected state and commercial power is being supplied to the power supply circuit 106, if the maintenance flag is 1 (on). Therefore, even if the power switch 104A is in a connected state and commercial power is being supplied to the power supply circuit 106, the power supply circuit 106 does not enter an operating state and the power-off state is maintained.

In this way, when the power switch 104A is in the connected state and the UTM device 1 is in the operating state, the UTM device 1 is notified that an event that should have caused it to go into standby state has occurred, and the UTM device 1 is switched to the power-off state. In this case, when restarting the UTM device 1, the power switch 104A, which is in the connected state, is operated to be turned off, and the state is switched to one that maintains the disconnected state. Furthermore, if the state is switched from the connected state to the disconnected 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).

As a result, by turning off the power switch 104A, the power supply circuit unit is shut down and put into a cut-off state. Therefore, by switching the power switch 104 on and putting the power switch 104 into a connected state, it is possible to power the UTM device 1 back on and restart it.

Figure 6 is a diagram for explaining the control contents of the operation control unit 1051 of another example of the power control circuit (power control circuit 105A) of the embodiment. As shown in the first line of Figure 6, it is assumed that the operation control unit 1051 determines that the power switch 104A 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 and performs normal power-on processing. Also, as shown in the second line of Figure 6, it is assumed that the operation control unit 1051 determines that the power switch 104A 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 power-off state due to the arrival of a command, the operation control unit 1051 stops supplying the enable signal to the power supply circuit 106 and maintains the power-off state.

Also, as shown in the third line of FIG. 4, when the power switch 104A is in the cut-off state and the maintain flag is 0 (off), this is information that the power has been turned off by turning off the power switch 104. In this state, the operation control unit 1051 maintains the power-off state without performing any processing. Note that, as shown in the fourth line of FIG. 4, a state in which the maintain flag is 1 on when the power switch 104 is in the cut-off state 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.

Therefore, as can be seen from the contents shown in FIG. 4, when the power is turned off (shut down) by a command from the control unit 103, even if the power switch 104A is in the connected state, the maintenance flag is provided so that the power off state can be maintained. Note that, as described above, if the power switch 104A is switched off, the maintenance 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.

When the system is shut down by command, the power switch 104 is in a connected state and commercial power is being supplied, so the power control circuit 105 is in an operable state.

[Effects of the embodiment]
In the UTM device 1 of this embodiment, the power control circuits 105 and 105A can transition to the power off state without going through the standby state, thereby realizing power saving. Furthermore, the power control circuit 105 can execute a pseudo power reset, and return from the power off state to the operating state with the same rapidity as when returning from the standby state.

In addition, by eliminating the standby state, it is expected that the lifespan of the power supply and circuit components operating in standby state will be extended.

[Modification]
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.

Although the power supply control circuit 105 has been described as being configured as a CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device), this is not limited to this. If the circuit size allows, it can be configured as a PAL (Programmable Array Logic), or if the circuit size 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 microcontroller. In other words, the power supply control circuit 105 can be configured as various programmable logic devices (integrated circuits) capable of executing the processing shown in FIG. 5 by allowing the user (in this case, the manufacturer of the UTM device 1) to define and change the internal logic circuit after manufacture.

In the above embodiment, the power switch 104A described as a modified example is described as a rocker switch, but this is not limited to this. For example, even if it is a push button switch, it can be used as the power switch of the modified example described above 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 the power switch in the modified example.

In addition, in a modified example of the embodiment described above, the maintain flag is 0 (off) in the normal state, and when a shutdown by command occurs, the maintain flag is set to 1 (on), 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 when a shutdown by command occurs, the maintain flag is set to 0 (off), 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.

In addition, in a modified example of 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 unit 1051 of the power supply control circuit 105A 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 unit 1051, and to be in a non-operating state by a disable signal from the operation control unit 1051.

In addition, in the above-described 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 can be applied to home appliances, PC peripherals, office equipment, business equipment, and the like. It is particularly suitable for application to data server devices that store and hold databases.

[others]
As can be seen from the above description of the embodiment, the functions of the first to fourth control means and the discrimination means in claim 1 are realized by the power supply control circuit 105 of the embodiment. Also, the functions of the flag setting means and the flag resetting means in claim 2 are realized by the operation control unit 1051 and the flag setting/resetting unit 1052 working together.

1...UTM device, 101...connection end, 102...communication I/F, 103...control unit, 104, 104A...power switch, 1041...switch operation unit, 1042...contact unit, a, b...fixed contact, c...movable contact, 105, 105A...power control circuit, 1051...operation control unit, 1052...flag setting release unit, 106...power supply circuit, 107...clock circuit, 111, 113...LAN port, 1 12, 114...LAN connection end, 121...P2P countermeasures section, 122...HP access restriction section, 123...virus countermeasures section, 124...email countermeasures section, 125...IPS/IDS section, 126...firewall section, 2(1), 2(2)-2(n)...user PC, 3...console PC, 4...LAN, 5...LAN, 6...Internet, 7...HTTP server device, 8...mail server device

Claims (2)

A power supply control circuit that controls the supply of driving power to a control unit of an information processing device,
a first control means for controlling a power supply circuit to turn off a power supply to a core portion of the control unit when a notification is received from the control unit that an event for transitioning to a standby state has occurred;
a second control means for controlling the power supply circuit to turn off all power to the control unit after the power to a core portion of the control unit is turned off and the control unit returns to an initial state;
A determination means for determining the state of a power switch;
a third control means for controlling the power supply circuit to resume the supply of power to a portion of the control unit that performs a reset operation when the determination means determines that the power switch has been turned on after all power to the control unit has been turned off, thereby executing the reset operation;
and a fourth control means for controlling the power supply circuit to turn on a power supply for a core portion of the control unit after the reset operation. 2. The power supply control circuit according to claim 1,
the power switch is a switch for turning the power supply on and off in response to an instruction from a user, and is a position-holding type switch that maintains a power supply connection state when turned on and maintains a power supply disconnection state when turned off;
a flag setting means for setting a maintain flag to a state indicating that the power supply is to be maintained off when the second control means turns off all power supplies to the control unit;
a flag resetting means for resetting the state of the maintain flag indicating that the power supply is to be maintained off when the determining means determines that the state of the power supply switch has changed from a connected state to a disconnected state,
the second control means controls the power supply circuit to maintain a state in which all power to the control unit is turned off when the maintain flag is in a state indicating that power should be maintained off;
The third control means resumes the supply of power to a part of the control unit that resets the control unit when the power switch is turned on by the determination means to enter a connected state and the maintain flag is not in a state indicating that the power should be maintained off.

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