JP5756044B2 - Relay device, transmission system, and power saving method of relay device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a relay device that relays information such as packets and frames in a network, a transmission system, and a power saving method for the relay device. More specifically, the present invention relates to a power source when a power supply voltage decreases or a power source is shut off. The present invention relates to a relay device whose supply is switched to a backup power source, a transmission system using the same, and a power saving method of the relay device.

  Conventionally, as an optical communication system capable of reducing the equipment cost, an optical transmission path from an OLT (Optical Line Terminal (communication carrier side optical line terminator)) to an optical splitter is shared, and an optical splitter and a plurality of ONUs (Optical 2. Description of the Related Art A PON (Passive Optical Network) optical communication system in which a Network Unit (optical subscriber side optical line terminating device) is connected by an individual optical transmission line has been put into practical use.

  In recent years, power saving in the entire network has been demanded. Thus, an ONU that saves power is known (Patent Document 1). The ONU described in Patent Document 1 includes a user-side transmission presence / absence determination unit and a power saving control start notification unit, and indicates that the communication terminal connected to the ONU has not transmitted a signal for a predetermined time or more. When the side transmission presence / absence determining means determines, the power saving control start notifying means notifies the OLT of the start of the power saving control in response to this, and then sets the own apparatus to the power saving mode in which the power saving control is performed. Yes.

JP 2011-171823 A

  By the way, the OLT used in the PON optical communication system is supplied with electric power from a power supply device provided in the station building. The power supply device has a backup function for switching to a backup power supply (emergency power supply such as a battery) and supplying power when the power input from the commercial power supply is reduced or cut off.

  However, in the event of a planned power outage, long-term power supply interruption, or power saving, the minimum service (IP phone, short mail, message bulletin board, etc., lifeline) It is desired to perform control to provide only the service (related to the service) and stop other services.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, an object of the present invention is to provide a relay device, a transmission system, and a power saving method for the relay device that can maintain the supply of backup power for a long period of time.

  One aspect of the relay apparatus illustrating the present invention is switched to a first memory used for buffering information relayed to a network, a second memory having a smaller capacity and power consumption than the first memory, and a backup power source. And a memory switching control means for switching the memory to be used from the first memory to the second memory in response to the transition to the low power consumption mode set at the time.

  The first memory has a configuration in which a priority buffer is provided for each priority information set in advance, and the second memory has a configuration in which a smaller number of priority buffers than the first memory is provided. Is desirable. According to this, it is possible to realize a differentiation service that allows only high priority information to pass through the priority buffer of the second memory. For example, by assigning high-priority information (frames) to information (frames) corresponding to the minimum services (services related to lifelines such as IP telephones, short mails, message boards, etc.) In the situation of power supply interruption or power saving over a long period, the backup power supply can be continued for a long time.

  In addition, signal monitoring means for monitoring an input power supply switching signal sent in response to switching to the backup power supply is provided, and the signal monitoring means shifts to a low power consumption mode in response to receiving the input power supply switching signal. You may make it the structure to carry out.

  Furthermore, it comprises signal monitoring means for monitoring the input power supply switching signal and the low power consumption mode switching signal sent in an emergency or abnormality, and the signal monitoring means includes both the input power supply switching signal and the low power consumption switching signal. It may be configured to shift to the low power consumption mode in response to receiving the signal. Note that the low power consumption mode switching signal means that a manager in a remote operation center or the like performs a specific operation when power saving is required, for example, at the time of a disaster, planned power outage, or long-term power supply stoppage. A low power consumption switching signal may be sent in response. Moreover, you may comprise so that it may transmit automatically in response to acquiring data, such as an earthquake early warning and tsunami information obtained from a public institution.

  The transmission system of the present invention includes a power supply device that transmits an input power switching signal in response to switching to a backup power source, and a low power consumption mode switching signal that transmits a low power consumption mode switching signal in an emergency or abnormality The memory used for buffering information relayed to the network in response to receiving the device and both the input power supply switching signal and the low power consumption switching signal from the first memory to the capacity and power consumption. And a relay device for switching to a second memory having a small size.

  Furthermore, in the power saving method of the relay apparatus according to the present invention, information relayed to the network in response to receiving both the input power switching signal and the low power consumption switching signal sent when switching to the backup power source. The memory used for buffering the memory is switched from the first memory to the second memory having a smaller capacity and power consumption.

  According to the present invention, when shifting to the low power consumption mode, the memory to be used is switched from the first memory to the second memory having a smaller capacity and power consumption, so that the power supply by the backup power supply is maintained for a long time. be able to.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the outline of the optical access system using this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the outline of OSU. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement procedure of OSU.

As shown in FIG. 1, an aspect of the optical access system 10 using the present invention includes a service network and a PON. The service network is a network on the side of a telecommunications carrier to which L2SW (Layer 2 switch) 12 installed in a station 20 built for each region is connected. The PON is a network in which one OSU (Optical Subscriber Unit) 13 performs point-to-multipoint communication via a plurality of ONUs (optical network units) 14, optical fibers 15, and one-to-many optical splitters 16. It is. The station building, OLT17 is installed, OLT17 includes a plurality of OSU13 and the control unit 18. The control unit 18 is used when the administrator sets the OSU 13 or the ONU 14 connected to the OSU 13. The L2SW 12 is a large-scale demultiplexing device that is connected to the OSU 13 and multiplexes frames (information) relayed from the OSU 13.

  As a PON standard, EPON (Ethernet (registered trademark) passive optical network) defined by IEEE 802.3ah is standardized. EPON is a protocol for controlling the transmission timing of signals so as to avoid collision of signals transmitted from different ONUs 14 since signals transmitted from a plurality of ONUs 14 are shared by the optical fiber 15 ahead of the optical splitter 16. This is an optical communication system constructed by MPCP (multi point control protocol).

  A power supply device 22 that supplies main power to the OSU 13 is installed in the station building 20. The power supply device 22 is supplied with commercial power (main power). The power supply device 22 has a backup function for detecting power interruption or voltage drop of the commercial power supply and switching the power supply to a backup power supply (emergency power supply) such as a power supply for the battery 23. The backup function sends an input power supply switching signal to the OSU 13 in response to switching to the backup power supply. This signal transmission is continued while the backup power is being supplied.

  A management server 25 is connected to the L2SW 12 of the operation center (OPS) 24. The management server 25 manages a network constructed by the L2SW 12. The management server 25 is provided with an operation unit 26 (low power consumption mode switching signal transmission device). The operation unit 26 is operated according to an administrator's judgment when, for example, a disaster, a planned power outage, a power saving such as a long-term power supply stop is required (emergency or abnormality), and in response to this operation, the OSU 13 Sends a low power consumption mode switching signal. The transmission of this signal is maintained unless a release operation is performed by the operation unit 26.

  A low power consumption mode switching signal is automatically sent in response to acquiring data such as earthquake early warnings and tsunami information obtained from public institutions, etc., instead of manual operation by the administrator. May be.

  The OSU 13 includes a network port transmission / reception unit 30, a switching determination unit 31, a downlink in SW 32, a downlink out SW 33, an uplink out SW 34, an uplink IN SW 35, downlink and uplink internal memories 36 and 37, a priority control unit 38, An external memory 39, a PON port transmission / reception unit 40, and a power supply unit 41 are provided.

  Of these, the functions of the SWs 32 to 35, the internal memories 36 and 37, and the priority control unit 38 are implemented in an LSI (Large Scale Integration) 50. Although not shown, the LSI 50 is also provided with a bridge function for performing a bridge process between a known service network and the PON and a VLAN function for performing a frame process based on the VLAN tag.

  The network port transmitting / receiving unit 30 is a port connected to the port of the L2SW 12 and sends a downstream frame input from the service network to each ONU 14 and transmits an upstream frame input from each ONU 14 to the service network. The PON port transmission / reception unit 40 is connected to the port of each ONU 14, receives an upstream frame from each ONU 14, and sends a downstream frame to each ONU 14. The power supply unit 41 receives main power from the power supply device 22 and supplies power to each unit.

  The switching determination unit 31 monitors the input of two signals, that is, the input power supply switching signal and the low power consumption mode switching signal, and switches SW32 to 35 on the condition that the input of both signals is detected. And the memory to be used is switched from the external memory 39 to the internal memories 36 and 37. The switching determination unit 31 and the SWs 32 to 35 are the memory switching unit of the present invention, the switching determination unit 31 is the signal monitoring unit, the external memory 39 is the first memory, and the internal memories 36 and 37 are the first ones. Each corresponds to two memories.

  The external memory 39 is connected to the LSI 50 and is controlled by the priority control unit 38. The external memory 39 is divided into a region 42 for buffering a downstream frame and a region 43 for buffering an upstream frame. Each region 42 and 43 has a priority based on priority information set in the frame. A plurality of priority buffers 44 are provided for each. In this example, four priorities of high priority, medium high priority, medium low priority, and low priority are preset, and four priority buffers 44a to 44d are provided in the downstream area 42 of the external memory 39. Is provided. Of course, the upstream area 43 is also provided with the same number of priority buffers 45, for example, priority buffers 45a to 45d.

  Note that the external memory may be composed of two types, one that buffers downstream frames and one that buffers upstream frames.

  The priority control unit 38 includes a priority detection unit 47, a distribution control unit 48, and a write / read control unit 49. The priority detection unit 47 detects priority information set in a frame and obtains a priority. The distribution control unit 48 determines a corresponding priority buffer among the plurality of priority buffers 44 a to 44 d and 45 a to 45 d provided for each priority based on the priority obtained by the priority detection unit 47. The writing / reading control unit 49 writes the frame to the priority buffer determined by the distribution control unit 48 and sequentially reads the frames from the highest priority existing in the priority buffers 44 and 45.

  The upstream and downstream internal memories 36 and 37 are mounted on the LSI 50 and have a smaller capacity and lower power consumption than the external memory 39. Each of the internal memories 36 and 37 is provided with priority buffers 36a and 37a for buffering a frame having a lower number than the external memory 39, for example, only the high priority among the four priorities. Here, high priority is set in a frame corresponding to a minimum service (service related to a lifeline such as an IP phone, a short mail, and a message bulletin board). For this reason, in an emergency or abnormality, only the frame corresponding to the minimum service is relayed, and the write / read control unit 49 uses the frames other than the high priority when writing to the internal memory for uplink / downlink 36, 37. Discard.

  Note that the number of priority buffers set in the external memory 39 and the internal memories 36 and 37 is not limited to the above-described number, and the internal memories 36 and 37 may be set smaller.

  The operation of the above configuration will be briefly described. The power supply device 22 turns off the output of the input power supply switching signal when commercial power having a predetermined voltage is supplied, and when the commercial power supply is cut off or falls below a predetermined value, the power supply device 22 supplies power to the battery 23. The input power supply switching signal is sent to the switching determination unit 31 by switching.

  In addition, the operation unit 26 provided in the OPS 24 normally turns off the transmission of the low power consumption mode switching signal, and the operation unit 26 is operated by an administrator in an emergency or abnormality in which power saving is required. In response to this, the management server 25 sends a low power consumption mode switching signal to the switching determination unit 31.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the OSU 13 monitors the input of the input power supply switching signal and the low power consumption mode switching signal by the switching determination unit 31 (S-1). When both signals are not input, or when one of the signals is not input (“N” side of S-2), the switching determination unit 31 turns on the power of the external memory 39. (S-3), the SWs 32 to 35 are controlled to use the external memory 39 (S-4).

  For the frames input from the network port transmitting / receiving unit 30, priority information is detected by the priority detection unit 47, and a preset priority is obtained. The distribution control unit 48 determines a corresponding priority buffer among the plurality of priority buffers 44 a to 44 d provided for each priority in the external memory 39 based on the obtained priority. For example, a frame determined to have a low priority is written into a priority buffer 44d corresponding to a low priority in the downstream area 42 of the external memory 39.

  The writing / reading control unit 49 writes the frame for which the priority is obtained into the priority buffer 44 determined by the distribution control unit 48 and sequentially reads the frames from the highest priority existing in the priority buffer 44. The read frame is transmitted from the PON port transmitting / receiving unit 40 to each ONU 14. On the contrary, priority control is performed on the frame input from the PON port transmitting / receiving unit 40 in the same procedure as described above, and the frame is transmitted to the service network.

  When the switching determination unit 31 detects that both the input power supply switching signal and the low power consumption mode switching signal are input (“Y” side of S-2), the memory used by controlling the SWs 32 to 35 is controlled. Switching to the internal memories 36 and 37 (S-5), and then the power source of the external memory 39 is turned off (S-6). As a result, the frame is buffered in the internal memories 36 and 37.

  The priority information of the frame input from the network port transmission / reception unit 30 is detected by the priority detection unit 47. For example, when it is determined that the priority is high, the distribution control unit 48 determines the high priority priority buffer 36a, and the write / read control unit 49 assigns the priority to the high priority priority buffer 36a. Write the requested frame. Here, the writing / reading control unit 49 discards a frame for which a priority other than high priority is obtained. As a result, only the frame with the highest priority is read from the internal memories 36 and 37 and transmitted from the PON port transmitting / receiving unit 40 to each ONU 14. Conversely, frames input from the PON port transmitting / receiving unit 40 are processed in the same procedure, and only frames set with high priority are sent to the service network.

  As described above, the power of the external memory 39 that consumes a large amount of power is turned off when the two conditions of operating in the backup power source and the emergency or abnormality in which power saving is required are satisfied. Since only the frames with high priority are relayed using the low internal memories 36 and 37, the backup power supply can be maintained for a long time.

  Note that the switching determination unit 31 determines whether the operation of the operation unit 26 in the OPS 24 is canceled when the input of one of the input power supply switching signal and the low power consumption mode switching signal is turned off. Alternatively, when the supply of commercial power is restored, the external memory 39 is turned on (S-3), and the SWs 32 to 35 are controlled to use the external memory 39 (S-4). As a result, frames with low priority are also relayed, and all services are started.

  As mentioned above, although this invention is demonstrated based on each embodiment, each said embodiment is an illustration, and it cannot be overemphasized that various modifications are possible for the combination of each of those component and each processing process.

10 Optical Access System 13 OSU
17 OLT
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 22 Power supply device 23 Battery 36, 37 Internal memory 38 Priority control part 39 External memory 47 Priority detection part 48 Distribution control part 49 Write / read control part

Claims (4)

In a relay device that relays information to a network,
A first memory used to buffer the information;
A second memory having a smaller capacity and lower power consumption than the first memory;
Memory switching means for switching a memory to be used from the first memory to the second memory in response to a transition to a low power consumption mode set when supplying backup power;
Signal monitoring means for monitoring an input power switching signal sent in response to switching to the backup power source and a low power consumption mode switching signal sent in an emergency or abnormality,
The signal monitoring means shifts to the low power consumption mode in response to receiving both the input power supply switching signal and the low power consumption mode switching signal.
Relay device comprising a call. Wherein the first memory is set a priority buffer for each priority information set in advance the information,
It said second memory, the provided number priority buffer less than the first memory, a relay apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a. A power supply device for sending an input power switch signal in response to switching to a backup power source;
A low power consumption mode switching signal sending device for sending a low power consumption mode switching signal in an emergency or abnormality; and
In response to receiving both the input power supply switching signal and the low power consumption mode switching signal, a memory used for buffering information to be relayed to the network has a capacity larger than that of the first memory. And a relay device for switching to a second memory with low power consumption,
A transmission system comprising:   Relay to the network in response to receiving both the input power switching signal sent in response to switching to the backup power source and the low power consumption mode switching signal sent in an emergency or abnormality A power saving method for a relay apparatus, characterized in that a memory used for buffering information is switched from a first memory to a second memory having a smaller capacity and lower power consumption.

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