TWI803628B - Warning light control method and electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

A warning light control method for an electronic device having a warning light. The method includes: detecting a system event; controlling the warning light to be turned on in response to the system event; and automatically turning off the warning light in response to that a weight value of the system event meets a default condition after the warning light is turned on.

Description

Warning light control method and electronic device

The invention relates to a device control technology, and in particular to a warning light control method and an electronic device.

Some types of electronic devices are equipped with warning lights to reflect certain system abnormalities. However, in a computer room where a large number of hosts are placed, if the warning lights of too many devices are on at the same time, the maintenance personnel in the computer room need to spend a long time detecting each abnormal device one by one to try to find the cause of the abnormality. In addition, most electronic devices equipped with a warning light are only equipped with a single warning light, so that maintenance personnel cannot judge the type of abnormality currently occurring in the system according to the lighted warning light. In practice, it may cause the system abnormalities that need to be eliminated first to be delayed, and then cause related operational losses.

The invention provides a warning light control method and an electronic device, which can effectively improve the above problems.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a method for controlling a warning light, which is used in an electronic device with a warning light. The warning light control method includes: detecting a system event; in response to the system event, controlling the warning light to turn on; and after controlling the warning light to turn on, responding to the weight of the system event conforming to a preset conditions, the warning lights are automatically turned off.

An embodiment of the invention further provides an electronic device, which includes a warning light, a warning light controller, and a processor. The processor is coupled to the warning light and the warning light controller. The processor is used for detecting system events. The processor is further configured to instruct the warning light controller to control the warning light to turn on in response to the system event. After controlling the warning light to turn on, the processor is further configured to instruct the warning light controller to turn off the warning light in response to the weight of the system event meeting a preset condition.

Based on the above, after a certain system event is detected, the warning light of the device may be turned on in response to the system event. Then, if it is determined that the weight of the system event meets the preset condition, the warning light that has been turned on can be automatically turned off. Through the automatic switching mechanism of the warning light, the maintenance personnel or ordinary users can prioritize maintenance on the electronic devices that need to be prioritized to eliminate abnormal conditions according to whether the warning light is continuously on, so as to improve the above-mentioned problems.

In order to make the above-mentioned features and advantages of the present invention more comprehensible, the following specific embodiments are described in detail together with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the appearance of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG. 1, the electronic device 10 can be a server host, a switch, a router, a modem, a smart phone, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, a desktop computer, an industrial computer, a display, a multimedia player or a smart home appliance ( For example, various electronic devices such as smart TV, smart electric cooker, and smart refrigerator are equipped with one or more warning lights to reflect system abnormalities. The invention does not limit the type of the electronic device 10 .

In the following embodiments, a server host is used as an example of the electronic device 10 . For example, the electronic device 10 serving as a server host can be connected to a network and provide specific network services, such as web services, database services, or cloud platform services, and so on.

In this embodiment, the electronic device 10 includes a warning light 11 , a warning light controller 12 , a processor 13 , a memory module 14 and a Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) 15 . The warning lights 11 may include LED lights or other types of lights. The warning light 11 can be disposed on the outer casing of the electronic device 10 , as shown in FIG. 2 . It should be noted that, in another embodiment, the type of the warning lights 11, the number of the warning lights 11, the location of the warning lights 11 and/or the appearance of the electronic device 10 can all be adjusted according to practical needs. be restricted.

The warning light controller 12 is coupled to the warning light 11 and used for controlling the warning light 11 to turn on or off. In one embodiment, the warning light controller 12 can also control the color of the warning light 11 , the brightness of the warning light 11 , the duration of the warning light 11 and/or the flashing frequency of the warning light 11 . The warning light controller 12 may include a control circuit such as an embedded controller to control the warning light 11 .

The processor 13 is coupled to the warning light controller 12 . The processor 13 is used for sending a control signal to the warning light controller 12 to instruct the warning light controller 12 to control the warning light 11 . For example, in response to a control signal from the processor 13, the warning light controller 12 can turn the warning light 11 on, off, change the color of the warning light 11, change the brightness of the warning light 11, and change the lighting of the warning light 11. duration and/or change the flashing frequency of the warning light 11, etc. The processor 13 may include a central processing unit, a graphics processing unit, an embedded controller, or other programmable general-purpose or special-purpose microprocessors, digital signal processors, programmable controllers, and application-specific integrated circuits , programmable logic device or other similar devices or a combination of these devices. In addition, the processor 13 may be responsible for the whole or part of the operations of the electronic device 10 .

The memory module 14 is coupled to the processor 13 . The memory module 14 is used for storing data. For example, the memory module 14 may include volatile storage media and/or non-volatile storage media. Wherein, the volatile storage medium may be random access memory (RAM), and the non-volatile storage medium may be read only memory (ROM), solid state disk (SSD) or traditional hard disk (HDD).

The BMC 15 is coupled to the processor 13 . The baseboard management controller 15 can be used to monitor the system status of the electronic device 10 . For example, the BMC 15 can monitor the software/hardware status of the electronic device 10 . The processor 13 can determine whether the current system status of the electronic device 10 (or the baseboard management controller 15 ) is good (ie healthy) or warning (unhealthy) according to the information reported by the baseboard management controller 15 . In one embodiment, the electronic device 10 may further include input/output interfaces such as a screen, a touch screen, a touchpad, a mouse, a keyboard, physical buttons, a speaker, a microphone, a network interface card, and the input/output interface Types are not limited to this.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a warning light control method according to an embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 , in step S301 , the processor 13 may detect system events. The system event may reflect a system abnormality of the electronic device 10 . For example, the system abnormality may include various memory abnormalities, various operating system abnormalities, various software abnormalities and various hardware abnormalities. In this embodiment, the detectable system events include events reflecting abnormality of the memory module 14 and/or events reflecting abnormality of the BMC 15 . In response to the detected system event, in step S301 , the processor 13 may instruct the warning light controller 12 to control the warning light 11 to turn on.

On the other hand, for the detected system event, the processor 13 can determine the weight (also referred to as weight value) of the system event. Different types of system events can have different weight values. In one embodiment, the weight value of a system event is related to the severity (or severity) of the system event. For example, the weight value of a certain system event may be positively correlated with the severity of the system event. If the severity of a certain system event (also referred to as the first system event) is higher than that of another system event (also referred to as the second system event), the weight value corresponding to the first system event may be higher than that of the second system event. The weight value of the second system event.

The calculation of the weight value of the system event can be customized according to the type and/or main function of the electronic device 10 . For example, for the electronic device 10 whose main function is to provide real-time Internet services, system events related to Internet connection quality and/or data access speed may be determined to have relatively higher weights. Alternatively, for the electronic device 10 whose main function is to provide data storage and/or cloud backup service, system events related to the reliability of data access can be determined to have a relatively high weight. Corresponding to different types and/or different functions of the electronic devices 10 , the same type of system events may also be determined to have different weights, depending on practical requirements.

The processor 13 can obtain the weight corresponding to a certain system event according to a customized algorithm or table. For example, processor 13 may build a look-up table. The look-up table can be stored in the memory module 14 and read when the electronic device 10 is turned on. This lookup table records different types of system events and their corresponding weight values. When a system event is detected, the processor 13 can obtain the weight corresponding to the system event according to the lookup table.

After the warning light 11 is turned on, in step S303, the processor 13 may determine whether the detected system event meets a preset condition (also referred to as a first preset condition). If the detected system event meets the first preset condition, in step S304 , the processor 13 may automatically instruct the warning light controller 12 to turn off the warning light 11 . On the contrary, if the detected system event does not meet the first preset condition, in step S305 , the processor 13 may instruct the warning light controller 12 to continuously control the warning light 11 to turn on.

In one embodiment, the processor 13 may determine whether the weight of the detected system event is less than a preset value. If the weight of the system event is less than the preset value, the processor 13 may determine that the detected system event meets the first preset condition and proceed to step S304. On the contrary, if the weight of the system event is not less than the preset value, the processor 13 may determine that the detected system event does not meet the first preset condition and enter step S305.

In one embodiment, the processor 13 may send a warning message to the remote device according to certain types of system events, so as to notify the administrator or maintenance personnel of the remote device that the electronic device 10 is abnormal. In one embodiment, the processor 13 may determine whether the weight of the detected system event meets another preset condition (also referred to as a second preset condition). If the weight of the detected system event meets the second preset condition, the processor 13 may send a corresponding warning message to the remote device. On the contrary, if the weight of the detected system event does not meet the second preset condition, the processor 13 may not send the corresponding warning message. In addition, the warning message can be sent to remote devices such as mobile phones of administrators or maintenance personnel by email or short message.

In one embodiment, the processor 13 may determine whether the weight of the detected system event is not less than the above preset value. If the weight of the system event is not less than the preset value, the processor 13 may determine that the detected system event meets the second preset condition. On the contrary, if the weight of the system event is less than the preset value, the processor 13 may determine that the detected system event does not meet the second preset condition. For example, in one embodiment of FIG. 3, if the weight of the detected system event is not less than the preset value, then in step S305, the processor 13 may instruct the warning light controller 12 to continuously control the warning light 11 to turn on and Send appropriate alert messages. In addition, in step S304, the processor 13 may not send an alert message corresponding to the system event, so as to avoid sending alert messages too frequently.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a warning light control method according to an embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 4 , in step S401 , the processor 13 executes system initialization (such as software/hardware initialization settings). In step S402 , the processor 13 detects a system event and the warning light controller 12 controls the warning light 11 to turn on.

In step S403 , the processor 13 determines whether the detected system event reflects too many error bits in the data read from the memory module 14 . If step S403 is determined to be yes (that is, there is an event that there are too many error bits in the data read from the memory module 14), then in step S404, the processor 13 can instruct to send a warning message corresponding to this system event to remote device. If the determination in step S403 is no, the processor 13 may not send the warning message and enter step S405.

In step S405 , the processor 13 can determine whether the detected system event reflects an uncorrectable error in the data read from the memory module 14 . If step S405 is determined to be yes (that is, there is an event that the data read from the memory module 14 has an uncorrectable error), then in step S404, the processor 13 can instruct to send a warning message corresponding to the system event to remote device. If the determination in step S405 is no, the processor 13 may not send the warning message and proceed to step S406. After step S404, return to step S402 and the warning light controller 12 can continue to control the warning light 11 to turn on until the abnormal condition is eliminated.

In step S406 , the processor 13 can determine whether the current system status of the electronic device 10 (or the BMC 15 ) is good (ie healthy) according to the information reported by the BMC 15 . If it is determined that the current system status of the electronic device 10 (or BMC 15 ) is good (ie healthy), in step S407, the processor 13 may determine whether the mechanism for automatically turning off the warning light has been activated. If yes (that is, the mechanism for automatically turning off the warning light has been activated), then in step S408 , the processor 13 may automatically instruct the warning light controller 12 to turn off the warning light 11 . In addition, if step S406 judges no (that is, it is determined that the current system status of the electronic device 10 (or baseboard management controller 15) is not good (that is, unhealthy)) or step S407 judges that the mechanism for automatically turning off the warning light is not activated, then you can Return to step S402 and the warning light controller 12 can continue to control the warning light 11 to turn on until the abnormal condition is eliminated. In addition, in another embodiment of FIG. 4 , if step S406 is judged to be negative, step S404 may also be entered to send a corresponding warning message.

It should be noted that the determination steps S403 , S405 and S406 in the embodiment of FIG. 4 can all be determined according to the weight value of the detected system event. Steps S403-S406 may respectively correspond to a preset value. If the weight value of the detected system event is smaller than the preset value corresponding to the judgment condition of step S403, then step S405 can be entered. If the weight value of the detected system event is not less than the preset value corresponding to the judgment condition of step S403, the process may proceed to step S404. If the weight value of the detected system event is smaller than the preset value corresponding to the judgment condition of step S405, then step S406 can be entered. If the weight value of the detected system event is not less than the preset value corresponding to the judgment condition of step S405, the process may proceed to step S404. If the weight value of the detected system event is smaller than the preset value corresponding to the judgment condition of step S406, then step S407 can be entered. If the weight value of the detected system event is not less than the preset value corresponding to the judgment condition of step S406, return to step S402 (or enter step S404).

In one embodiment, the judgment process in FIG. 4 can also be regarded as a multi-layer weight judgment mechanism (also called a multi-layer screening mechanism) to filter out system events that meet the judgment conditions for automatically turning off the warning lights and respond to the system events. Turn off warning light 11. In addition, in an embodiment of FIG. 4 , only after step S408 is entered, the warning light 11 can be turned off automatically, otherwise, the warning light 11 remains on.

It should be noted that the flowchart of FIG. 4 is only an example and not intended to limit the present invention. In one embodiment, the electronic device 10 may not include the baseboard management controller 15, so the embodiment of FIG. 4 may not include the step S406. Alternatively, the order of execution of steps S403, S405, and S406 in FIG. 4 can also be adjusted (for example, execute step S406 before executing steps S403 and S405 and/or execute step S405 before executing step S403, etc.), which is not limited by the present invention. In addition, more or fewer judgment steps can be introduced into the multi-layer screening mechanism in Fig. 4 to meet different application scenarios.

However, each step in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 has been described in detail above, and will not be repeated here. It should be noted that each step in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 can be implemented as a plurality of program codes or circuits, which is not limited by the present invention. In addition, the methods shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 can be used together with the above exemplary embodiments, or can be used alone, which is not limited by the present invention.

To sum up, after a specific system event is detected, the warning light can be turned on in response to the system event. Then, through the multi-layer screening mechanism, if the weight of the system event meets the preset condition, the already lit warning light can be automatically turned off. In this way, maintenance personnel or general users can prioritize maintenance on the electronic devices that need to be eliminated in priority according to whether the warning lights are continuously on, thereby effectively improving the maintenance efficiency of the electronic devices.

Although the present invention has been disclosed above with the embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone with ordinary knowledge in the technical field may make some changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention should be defined by the scope of the appended patent application.

10: Electronic device 11: warning lights 12: Warning light controller 13: Processor 14: Memory module 15: Baseboard Management Controller S301~S305, S401~S408: steps

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the appearance of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a warning light control method according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a warning light control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

S301~S305: steps

Claims (8)

A warning light control method for an electronic device with a warning light, and the warning light control method includes: detecting a system event, wherein recording the system event and the system event weight in a lookup table, according to the lookup obtain the weight corresponding to the system event; control the warning light to turn on in response to the system event; and determine whether the weight of the system event is less than a preset value after controlling the warning light to turn on, and respond to When the weight is less than the preset value, it is determined that the weight of the system event meets a preset condition, and in response to the system event meeting a preset condition, the warning light is automatically turned off. The warning light control method described in claim 1 of the patent application further includes: sending a warning message to a remote device in response to the system event. In the warning light control method described in claim 1 of the patent application, the electronic device further has a memory module, and the system event includes an event reflecting an abnormality of the memory module. In the warning light control method described in claim 1, the electronic device further has a baseboard management controller, and the system event includes an event reflecting an abnormal occurrence of the baseboard management controller. An electronic device, comprising: a warning light; a warning light controller; and a processor coupled to the warning light and the warning light controller, Wherein the processor is used to detect a system event, wherein the system event and the system event weight are recorded in a lookup table, the processor obtains the weight corresponding to the system event according to the lookup table, and the processor is further used for In response to the system event, instruct the warning light controller to control the warning light to turn on, and after controlling the warning light to turn on, the processor is further used to determine whether the weight of the system event is less than a preset value, responding When the weight is less than the preset value, the processor determines that the weight of the system event meets a preset condition, and instructs the warning light controller to turn off the warning light in response to the system event meeting a preset condition. The electronic device described in item 5 of the claimed invention, wherein the processor is further configured to send a warning message to a remote device in response to the system event. The electronic device described in item 5 of the scope of the patent application further includes: a memory module coupled to the processor, wherein the system event includes an event reflecting an abnormality of the memory module. The electronic device described in claim 5 of the patent application further includes: a baseboard management controller coupled to the processor, wherein the system event includes an event reflecting an abnormality of the baseboard management controller.

Images