# US 10,481,664 B2 · Storage device and method for powering storage device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,481,664 B2 - Document ID: US10481664B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/622,456 - Filed: 2017-06-14 - Published: 2017-12-14 - Granted: 2019-11-19 - Earliest claimed: 2016-06-14 - Assignees: EMC IP Holding Company LLC - Applicants: EMC IP Holding Company LLC - Inventors: Jing Chen; Jesse Xizhi Cui; (Alice) Aiqin Liu; Haifang Zhai; Tao Yang - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10481664B2 ## CPC - G06F 1/30: Means for acting in the event of power-supply failure or interruption, e.g. power-supply fluctuations (for resetting only G06F1/24) - G06F 1/3275: {Power saving in memory, e.g. RAM, cache} - G06F 1/3287: by switching off individual functional units in the computer system - G06F 11/14: Error detection or correction of the data by redundancy in operations (error detection or correction of the data by redundancy in hardware G06F11/16) - G06F 11/1441: {Resetting or repowering} - G06F 11/2015: {Redundant power supplies (power supply failure G06F1/30)} - Y02D 10/00: Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - Y02D: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES [ICT], I.E. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AIMING AT THE REDUCTION OF THEIR OWN ENERGY USE ## Abstract Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a storage device and a method for powering the storage. The storage device is powered by a main power supply and the storage device comprises a processor, a baseboard management controller (BMC), a plurality of disks, a first backup power supply and a second backup power supply. The first backup power supply is at least coupled to the processor, and the second backup power supply is at least coupled to the baseboard management controller. Embodiments of the present disclosure enable flexible spatial arrangement of backup power supplies by arranging a plurality of backup power supplies in the storage device. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A storage device powered by a main power supply, comprising: a processor: a baseboard management controller (BMC); a plurality of disks; a first backup power supply at least coupled to the processor; and a second backup power supply at least coupled to the BMC; wherein the BMC is configured to: obtain a first electric quantity of the first backup power supply and a second electric quantity of the second backup power supply; in response to both the first and second electric quantities being above a threshold electric quantity, enable a writing cache mode of the storage device; and in response to at least one of the first and second electric quantities being below the threshold electric quantity, disable the writing cache mode of the storage device. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The storage device according to claim 1, further comprising: a memory: and a third backup power supply arranged in at least one of the plurality of disks, the at least one disk being used to store data from the memory. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The storage device according to claim 2, wherein the at least one disk comprises a disk box and a disk body, and the dimension of the disk box is larger than the dimension of the disk body. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The storage device according to claim 1, wherein the first and second backup power supplies are further coupled to the main power supply in order to be charged by the main power supply. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The storage device according to claim 1, wherein the BMC is further configured to: in response to detecting a failure of the main power supply, enable at least one of the first and second backup power supplies to power the storage device. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The storage device according to claim 1, wherein the BMC is further configured to: in response to detecting a failure of the main power supply, enable the first backup power supply to at least power the processor; and enable the second backup power supply to at least power the BMC. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The storage device according to claim 6, wherein the first backup power supply is enabled to only power the processor, and the second backup power supply is enabled to only power the BMC. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The storage device according to claim 7, wherein a battery capacity of the first backup power supply is associated with a power level of the processor, and a battery capacity of the second backup power supply is associated with a power level of the BMC. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The storage device according to claim 1, further comprising: a memory; and an input/output (I/O) controller; the first backup power supply being further coupled to the memory, and the second backup power supply being further coupled to the PO controller. ### Claim 10 A method for powering a storage device, comprising: detecting a failure of a main power supply of a storage device, the storage device at least including a processor, a baseboard management controller (BMC), a plurality of disks, a first backup power supply and a second backup power supply; and in response to detecting the failure of the main power supply; enabling the first backup power supply to at least power the processor; enabling the second backup power supply to at least power the BMC obtaining a first electric quantity of the first backup power supply and a second electric quantity of the second backup power supply; in response to both the first and second electric quantities being above a threshold electric quantity, enabling a writing cache mode of the storage device; and in response to at least one of the first and second electric quantities being below the threshold electric quantity, disabling the writing cache mode of the storage device. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method according to claim 10, further comprising: in response to detecting the failure of the main power supply, enabling a third backup power supply in the storage device to power at least one of the plurality of disks in order to store data in a memory of the storage device into the at least one disk. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method according to claim 11, wherein the at least one disk comprises a disk box and a disk body, and the dimension of the disk box is larger than the dimension of the disk body. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The method according to claim 10, wherein enabling the first backup power supply to at least power the processor comprises enabling the first backup power supply to only power the processor; and enabling the second backup power supply to at least power the BMC comprises enabling the second backup power supply to only power the BMC. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method according to claim 13, wherein a battery capacity of the first backup power supply is selected based on a power level of the processor, and a battery capacity of the second backup power supply is selected based on a power level of the BMC. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The storage device according to claim 1, wherein the first backup power supply has a first battery capacity; wherein the second backup power supply has a second battery capacity; and wherein the first battery capacity and the second battery capacity are different from each other. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The storage device according to claim 1, wherein the first backup power supply has a first battery capacity; wherein the second backup power supply has a second battery capacity; and wherein the first battery capacity and the second battery capacity are the same. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) The method according to claim 10, wherein the first backup power supply has a first battery capacity; wherein the second backup power supply has a second battery capacity; and wherein the first battery capacity and the second battery capacity are different from each other. ### Claim 18 (depends on 10) The method according to claim 10, wherein the first backup power supply has a first battery capacity; wherein the second backup power supply has a second battery capacity; and wherein the first battery capacity and the second battery capacity are the same. ### Claim 19 A computer program product having a non-transitory computer readable medium which stores a set of instructions to power a storage device; the set of instructions, when carried out by computerized circuitry, causing the computerized circuitry to perform a method of: detecting a failure of a main power supply of the storage device, the storage device at least including a processor, a baseboard management controller (BMC), a plurality of disks, a first backup power supply and a second backup power supply; after detecting the failure of the main power supply, obtaining a first electric quantity of the first backup power supply and a second electric quantity of the second backup power supply; in response to both the first and second electric quantities being above a threshold electric quantity, enabling a writing cache mode of the storage device; and in response to at least one of the first and second electric quantities being below the threshold electric quantity, disabling the writing cache mode of the storage device. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The computer program product according to claim 19, wherein the method further comprises: in response to detecting the failure of the main power supply, enabling the first backup power supply to at least power the processor; and enabling the second backup power supply to at least power the BMC.