Patent ID: 7671485

Claim:
A storage system comprising: a power supply circuit which outputs a single type of power having a single voltage level; a main body having a main power supply line to transmit said single type of power output from said power supply circuit, a data transfer path for data transfer, and a plurality of pack connection sites; and a plurality of storage device packs which can receive said single type of power from said main power supply line, which are each connected to said plurality of pack connection sites on said main body so as to enable exchange of data with said data transfer path, and which can be removed from said pack connection sites, wherein each storage device pack comprises: a physical storage device requiring the supply of one or more types of power each having a prescribed voltage level, and a power conversion circuit which receives said single type of power from said main power supply line, converts said single type of power into said one or more types of power required by said physical storage device units, and outputs said converted one or more types of power to said physical storage device, wherein the voltage level of said single type of power from said main power supply line is equal to or higher than the highest voltage level of said one or more types of power required by said physical storage device, wherein each of said plurality of pack connection sites on said main body comprises: a U-turn power supply line to receive, and once again input to said storage device pack, said one or more types of power output from said power conversion circuit within said storage device pack, wherein said plurality of storage device packs comprises at least one power-returning type storage device pack, an input power supply line to input, to said physical storage device, said one or more types of power which are again input from said U-turn power supply line, wherein a plurality of parity groups are formed on the physical storage devices of said storage device packs such that each parity group is formed on at least two of the physical storage devices of said storage device packs.