Subscriber transmitter

【0001】

[Technical field to which the invention belongs]

The present invention relates to a subscriber transmission device. More specifically, the present invention comprises a terminal, a modem, a line card, and a host device, and in a subscriber transmission device that performs data communication using data in an ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) cell, the modem and the above-mentioned It relates to a subscriber transmission device in which at least one of the line cards is provided with a means for reducing power consumption.

【0002】

[Conventional technology]

Subscriber Line Terminal (SLT), which enables high-speed digital data communication using existing telephone lines, is rapidly becoming widespread as a basic device for new telephone services.

【0003】

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of a conventional subscriber transmission device. 21 is a subscriber transmission device, 22 is a terminal, 23 is a modem, 24 is a line card, and 25 is a host device. The subscriber transmission device 21 is configured by subordinately connecting a terminal 22, a modem 23, a line card 24, and a host device 25. A receiver and a transmitter are provided inside the modem 23 and the line card 24, and are connected to each other via a hybrid circuit. Data communication is configured to be done by ATM cells.

【0004】

FIG. 3 is also an explanatory diagram showing the protocol stack between the terminal 22 and the host device 25 in relation to the conventional subscriber transmission device 21, and which device is the ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) layer. Indicates whether communication is being performed with.

【0005】

As shown in FIG. 3, communication is performed between the terminal 22 and the modem 23, and between the line card 24 and the host device 25 using the data of the ATM cell 31. In Fig. 3, HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol) 26 shows the communication protocol between the network server and the client, that is, the communication contract and communication procedure, and TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) 27 is one of the transmission protocols, and TCP / IP (Internet). The TCP part of Protocol). IP (IP) 28 is an Internet protocol that corresponds to the TCP / IP network layer. Furthermore, PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol) 29 is a protocol used when connecting to the other party's computer by dial-up, such as the Internet. Also AAL (ATM Adaptation) Layer) 30 is an ATM adaptation layer, and in particular AAL5 (30) is for transferring signaling information and interworking with Frame Relay. Further, Ether32 is a typical LAN connection method, and ADSL (Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line) 33 is a conductor communication method for transmitting and receiving asymmetric transmission. OC is a standard that defines the optical fiber protocol and transmission speed specified by SONET, and OC-3 (34) is a North American digital hierarchy standardized by ANSI.

【0006】

While the subscriber transmission device 21 has the advantage of being always connected, it also has a problem of high power consumption, and the following techniques are disclosed in order to solve the problem.

【0007】

For this purpose, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-87235 describes subscriber transmission in which a transmission device on the subscriber side accommodating a plurality of subscribers and a transmission device connected to an exchange are connected by a multiplexed transmission line. A memory is provided in the transmission device on the subscriber side of the device to hold the outgoing call signal and the incoming call signal, and a control device is provided to transmit and receive the signal of the subscriber line. By operating only the subscriber transmitter / receiver corresponding to the number of users and operating the memory, and controlling via the control device when the telephone usage rate is low, the transmission device on the subscriber side can be specified. A configuration is disclosed in which power is supplied only to a circuit corresponding to the number of subscribers of.

【0008】

Further, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-327259, the power control device that detects the incoming signal of the telephone line turns on the switch to connect the power supply to the modem device, and the modem device to which the power supply is connected connects the line. When the data received from the external device is temporarily stored in the RAM by opening, the power supply of the information processing unit is connected after the communication processing is completed, the received data is pulled up from the RAM to the information processing unit, and the received data does not exist. Discloses a configuration in which the power supply of the information processing unit is not connected. In this way, it is possible to save power during communication standby, reduce the running cost of the personal computer, and solve the problems of durability.

【0009】

Further, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-55698, the status display bit to the switch in the exchange is extracted from the internal signal of the subscriber line interface circuit, and the extracted control bit / status display bit is supplied to the power-down control circuit. Generates a power-down control signal, supplies this power-down control signal to the subscriber line interface circuit, and when the subscriber line is in the standby / stop state, the power-down control circuit uses the power-down control signal to generate the power-down control signal. By applying power-down control to the signal, resetting the CPU circuit in the subscriber line interface circuit, and stopping the supply of the 15.36MHz master clock, the subscriber line termination device that consumes less power than before can be used. It is disclosed.

【0010】

According to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-317759, the optical network unit (ONU) is a subscriber line end station device in an access network configured by the ATM-PDS (Passive Double Star) method. A destination ONU information extraction circuit that extracts information indicating the destination ONU of the PDS cell from the PDS cell sent from the cell, a cell destination determination circuit that determines whether the destination ONU of the PDS cell is the own ONU, and the PDS. When the cell is not addressed to the own ONU, the clock stop control circuit that turns on the clock stop signal and when the clock stop signal is on, the clock supply of the circuit that operates only when the PDS cell addressed to the own ONU is received is stopped. An optical network unit whose power consumption is reduced by providing an ATM-PDS protocol processing circuit and a method for reducing the power consumption thereof are disclosed.

【0011】

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

The conventional subscriber transmission device has the problems described below. In the subscriber transmission device, which consists of a terminal, a modem, a line card, and a host device and performs data communication using ATM cell data, as shown in Fig. 3, even if there is no data transfer between the modem and the line card, the modem The function was maintained between 23 and the line card 24, and wasted power was consumed by the line card 24 and the modem 23 that were always connected.

【0012】

Further, the techniques disclosed in JP-A-7-87235, JP-A-10-327259, JP-A-11-55698, and JP-A-11-317759 have circuit configurations to be applied. There are problems that it is necessary to change, the method itself is complicated, and the amount of reduction in power consumption is not sufficient.

【0013】

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is a subscriber who is composed of a terminal, a modem, a line card, and a host device and communicates with data of an ATM cell. An object of the present invention is to provide a subscriber transmission device in which at least one of the modem and the line card is provided with means for reducing power consumption.

【0014】

[Means for solving problems]

The subscriber transmission device of the first invention of the present application that solves the above problems is composed of a higher-level device, a line card, a modem, and a terminal, and is between the higher-level device and the line card, and between the modem and the terminal. In a subscriber transmission device configured to communicate between ATM cell data, a packet communication monitoring function that monitors the presence or absence of valid data in at least one of the line card and the modem, and an effective one. A transmission function control circuit that controls the start and stop of the transmitter depending on the presence or absence of data, a transmitter that stops and starts the function by a command of the transmission function control circuit, and data that is valid while the transmitter is stopped are stored. It is characterized by having a buffer to be used.

【0015】

Therefore, according to the subscriber transmitter of the first invention of the present application as described above, the presence or absence of valid data is monitored by the packet communication monitoring function on at least one of the line card and the modem, and the presence or absence of this valid data is used. Since the transmission function control circuit is configured to stop and start the function of the transmitter, if invalid data is transmitted, at least one of the line card and modem, the transmitter. It is possible to reduce the power consumption by stopping the function of.

【0016】

The subscriber transmission device of the second invention of the present application for solving the above problems is the subscriber transmission device of the first invention of the present application, wherein the modem is a transmitter, a buffer connected to the transmitter, and the buffer. It is characterized by including a packet communication monitoring function connected to the device and a transmission function control circuit that receives an output from the packet communication monitoring function and outputs the output to the transmission unit.

【0017】

Therefore, according to the subscriber transmission device of the second invention of the present application as described above, the presence or absence of valid data is monitored by the packet communication monitoring function in the modem, and the function of the transmitter is stopped due to the presence or absence of this valid data. Since the transmission function control circuit is configured to start the operation, when invalid data is transmitted, the function of the transmitter in the modem can be stopped to reduce the power consumption.

【0018】

The subscriber transmission device of the third invention of the present application for solving the above problems is the subscriber transmission device of the second invention of the present application, in which the packet communication monitoring function is connected between the packet communication monitoring function and the terminal. The cell loss priority display CLP of the header defined in the ATM cell is monitored from the receiving unit, and when the value of the CLP is zero, it is regarded as valid data, and the presence or absence of the valid data is determined by the transmission function. It is characterized in that it is configured to report to the control circuit.

【0019】

Therefore, according to the subscriber transmission device of the third invention of the present application, the packet communication monitoring function in the modem monitors the presence or absence of valid data by the value of CLP in the ATM cell header and reports it to the transmission function control circuit. Since it is configured, it is possible to easily monitor the presence or absence of valid data without the need for special accessory circuits.

【0020】

The subscriber transmission device of the fourth invention of the present application for solving the above problems is the subscriber transmission device of the first invention of the present application, wherein the line card is a transmission unit, a buffer connected to the transmission unit, and the like. It is characterized by including a packet communication monitoring function connected to a buffer and a transmission function control circuit that receives an output from the packet communication monitoring function and outputs the output to the transmission unit.

【0021】

Therefore, according to the subscriber transmission device of the fourth invention of the present application as described above, the presence or absence of valid data is monitored by the packet communication monitoring function in the line card, and the function of the transmission unit is stopped by the presence or absence of this valid data. Since the transmission function control circuit is configured to start up, if invalid data is transmitted, the function of the transmitter in the line card can be stopped to reduce power consumption. it can.

【0022】

The subscriber transmission device of the fifth invention of the present application for solving the above problems is the subscriber transmission device of the fourth invention of the present application, and the packet communication monitoring function is defined in the ATM cell from the higher-level device. It is characterized in that the CLP of the header is monitored, it is regarded as valid data when the value of the CLP is zero, and the presence or absence of the valid data is reported to the transmission function control circuit.

【0023】

Therefore, according to the subscriber transmission device of the fifth invention of the present application, the packet communication monitoring function in the line card monitors the presence or absence of valid data according to the CLP value of the ATM cell header and reports it to the transmission function control circuit. Since it is configured in, it is possible to easily monitor the presence or absence of valid data without the need for special accessory circuits.

【0024】

The subscriber transmission device of the sixth invention of the present application for solving the above problems is the subscriber transmission device of the second to fifth inventions of the present application. It is characterized in that, in the case of valid data, it is transmitted to the buffer, and in the case of ineffective data, it is discarded.

【0025】

Therefore, according to the subscriber transmission device of the sixth invention of the present application, the packet communication monitoring function of the modem or the line card is configured to send valid data to the buffer and discard invalid data. , It is possible to eliminate the waste of power consumption associated with sending invalid data to the buffer.

【0026】

The subscriber transmission device of the seventh invention of the present application for solving the above problems is the subscriber transmission device of the second or fourth invention of the present application, and the transmission function control circuit has no valid data from the packet communication monitoring function. When the report is received, the function of the transmitter is stopped, and when a report with valid data is received, the function of the transmitter is activated.

【0027】

Therefore, according to the subscriber transmission device of the seventh invention of the present application as described above, the transmission function control circuit of the modem or the line cart is configured to activate the function of the transmitter only when a report of valid data is received. Therefore, the power consumption in the transmission unit can be reduced.

【0028】

The subscriber transmission device of the eighth invention of the present application for solving the above problems is the subscriber transmission device of the second or fourth invention of the present application, in which the buffer has the packet communication monitoring function while the transmission unit is stopped. It is characterized in that it is configured to store valid data from.

【0029】

Therefore, according to the subscriber transmission device of the eighth invention of the present application as described above, the buffer of the modem or the line card is configured to store valid data from the packet communication monitoring function while the transmitter is stopped. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the loss of valid data.

【0030】

The subscriber transmission device of the ninth invention of the present application for solving the above problems is the subscriber transmission device of the second or fourth invention of the present application. It is characterized in that it is configured to transmit valid data of the packet communication monitoring function to the hybrid circuit.

【0031】

Therefore, according to the subscriber transmission device of the ninth invention of the present application as described above, the transmitter of the modem or the line card should take out the valid data from the buffer and transmit the valid data of the packet communication monitoring function to the hybrid circuit. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate the waste of power consumption associated with transmitting only valid data to the hybrid circuit and transmitting even ineffective data.

【0032】

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

【0033】

The subscriber transmission device of the present invention has the same basic configuration as in FIG. 3, or the internal configuration of the modem and the line card is significantly different from the conventional one. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a modem in a subscriber transmission device according to an implementation of the subscriber transmission device of the present invention. 1 is a modem, 2 is a terminal, 3 is a receiver, 4 is a packet communication monitoring function, 5 is a buffer, 6 is a transmitter, 7 is a hybrid circuit, 8 is a transmitter, 9 is a communication function control circuit, and 10 is a receiver. Is.

【0034】

The modem 1 of the subscriber transmission device connected to the terminal 2 is connected to the hybrid circuit 7, the transmitter 6 and the receiver 10 connected to the hybrid circuit 7, the buffer 5 connected to the transmitter 6, and the buffer 5. The packet communication monitoring function 4 to be connected, the receiving unit 3 connected to the packet communication monitoring function 4 and connected to the terminal 2, and the output from the packet communication monitoring function 4 are received and output to the transmitting unit 6. The transmission function control circuit 9, the receiving unit 10, and the transmitting unit 8 connected to the terminal 2 are provided.

【0035】

The modem 1 of the subscriber transmission device transmits data from the line card of the subscriber transmission device to the terminal 2 and also transmits data from the terminal 2 to the line card. The packet communication monitoring function 4 in the modem 1 monitors the cell loss priority display CLP (Cell Loss Priority) of the header defined in the ATM cell from the receiver 3, and is valid data when the CLP value is zero. And reports the presence or absence of effective data communication to the transmission function control circuit 9.

【0036】

The packet communication monitoring function 4 sends the data from the receiver 3 to the buffer 5 if it is valid data, and discards it if it is not valid data. Furthermore, the transmission function control circuit 9 stops the function of the transmission unit 6 when it receives a report that there is no valid data from the packet communication monitoring function 4, and receives a report that there is valid data from the packet communication monitoring function 4. In that case, the function of the transmitter 6 is activated.

【0037】

The receiving unit 3 receives the data from the terminal 2 and transmits it to the packet communication monitoring function 4. The buffer 5 stores valid data from the packet communication monitoring function 4 when the transmission unit 6 is stopped.

【0038】

After activation, the transmission unit 6 extracts valid data from the buffer 5 and transmits the valid data of the packet communication monitoring function 4 to the hybrid circuit 7. Further, the hybrid circuit 7 performs 2W-4W conversion. The receiving unit 10 transmits the data transmitted from the line card of the subscriber transmission device to the transmitting unit 8 via the hybrid circuit 7. The transmission unit 8 transmits the data from the reception unit 10 to the terminal 2.

【0039】

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a line card in the subscriber transmission device according to one implementation of the subscriber transmission device of the present invention. 11 is a line card, 12 is a hybrid circuit, 13 is a receiver, 14 is a transmitter, 15 is a buffer, 16 is a packet communication monitoring function, and 17 is a transmission function control circuit.

【0040】

The line card 11 includes a hybrid circuit 12, a receiving unit 13 and a transmitting unit 14 connected to the hybrid circuit 12, a buffer 15 connected to the transmitting unit 14, a packet communication monitoring function 16 connected to the buffer 15, and a packet communication monitoring function 16 thereof. It is composed of a transmission function control circuit 17 that receives an output from the packet communication monitoring function 16 and outputs the output to the transmission unit 14. The line card 11 of the subscriber transmission device transmits data from the host device 18 to the modem of the subscriber transmission device of FIG. Also, the data from the modem is transmitted to the host device 18.

【0041】

The packet communication monitoring function 16 in the line card 11 monitors the CLP of the header defined in the ATM cell from the host device 18, considers it as valid data when the CLP value is zero, and determines whether or not there is valid data. Report to the transmission function control circuit 17. Further, the packet communication monitoring function 16 transmits the data from the host device 18 to the buffer 15 if it is valid data, and discards it if the data is not valid.

【0042】

The transmission function control circuit 17 stops the function of the transmission unit 14 when the packet communication monitoring function 16 reports that there is no valid data, and the transmission function control circuit 17 stops the function of the transmission unit 14 when it receives a report that there is valid data. Activate the function. The buffer 15 stores valid data from the packet communication monitoring function 16 while the transmission unit 14 is stopped.

【0043】

After activation, the transmission unit 14 takes out valid data from the buffer 15 and transmits the valid data from the packet communication monitoring function 16 to the hybrid circuit 12. As a result, the hybrid circuit 12 performs 2W-4W conversion. The receiving unit 13 receives the transmission data from the modem of the subscriber transmission device via the hybrid circuit 12 and transmits it to the host device 18.

【0044】

Hereinafter, the operation of the subscriber transmission device of this embodiment will be described. As described above, the subscriber transmission device is composed of the terminal 2, the modem 1, the line card 11, and the host device 18, and the functions of each part are described again for convenience of explanation.

【0045】

First, in the schematic configuration diagram of the modem 1 in FIG. 1, the packet communication monitoring function 4 constantly monitors the CLP of the header defined in the ATM cell communicated from the receiver 3, and the data is valid when the CLP value is zero. Watch.

【0046】

If there is no data valid for a certain period of time between the receiver 3 and the packet communication monitoring function 4, the packet communication monitoring function 4 reports that there is no data valid for a certain period of time in the transmission function control circuit 9. Upon receiving a report that there is no valid data between the receiving unit 3 and the packet communication monitoring function 4 for a certain period of time, the transmission function control circuit 9 stops the function of the transmitting unit 6. The packet communication monitoring function 4 monitors whether or not there is valid data from the receiving unit 3 even while the transmitting unit 6 is stopped. When the packet communication monitoring function 4 receives valid data from the receiving unit 3, it reports it to the transmitting function control circuit 9. Upon receiving the report that the valid data has been received, the transmission function control circuit 9 activates the transmission unit 6. The packet communication monitoring function 4 monitors the presence or absence of valid data between the receiving unit 3 and the packet communication monitoring function 4 regardless of whether the transmitting unit 6 is started or stopped, and if it is valid data, it is transmitted to the buffer 5. ,Store. If the data is not valid, discard it.

【0047】

When the transmitter 6 is activated, the transmitter 6 takes out valid data from the buffer 5 and outputs it to the subscriber transmission line card via the hybrid circuit 7 that performs 2W-4W conversion. When starting the function of the transmitter 6, it takes time in the normal start-up procedure, so start it according to the start-up method of Fast Retrain in Chapter 12 of ITU-T Recommendation G.992.2 as a method to shorten the start-up time.

【0048】

Next, in the functional block diagram of the line card 11 in FIG. 2, the packet communication monitoring function 16 in the line card 11 constantly monitors the CLP of the header defined in the ATM cell communicated from the host device 18, and the CLP value. When is zero, it is regarded as valid data. If there is no data valid for a certain period of time between the host device 18 and the packet communication monitoring function 16, the packet communication monitoring function 16 reports that the transmission function control circuit 17 does not have data valid for a certain period of time. Upon receiving a report that there is no valid data for a certain period of time between the host device 18 and the packet communication monitoring function 16, the transmission function control circuit 17 stops the function of the transmission unit 14.

【0049】

The packet communication monitoring function 16 monitors whether there is valid data from the host device 18 even while the transmitter 14 is stopped. When the packet communication monitoring function 16 receives valid data from the host device 18, it reports it to the transmission function control circuit 17. Upon receiving the report that the valid data has been received, the transmission function control circuit 17 activates the transmission unit 14. The packet communication monitoring function 16 monitors the presence or absence of valid data between the host device 18 and the packet communication monitoring function 16 regardless of whether the transmission unit 14 is started or stopped, and if it is valid data, it is transmitted to the buffer 15. ,Store. If the data is not valid, discard it.

【0050】

When the transmitter 14 is activated, the transmitter 14 extracts valid data from the buffer 15 and outputs it to the modem 1 of the subscriber transmission device via the hybrid circuit 12 that performs 2W-4W conversion. When activating the function of the transmitter 14, it takes time in the normal startup procedure, so as a method to speed up the startup time, it is possible to start it according to Chapter 12 Fast Retrain startup method of ITU-T Recommendation G.992.2. it can.

【0051】

As described above, by providing the above-mentioned power consumption reducing means in at least one of the modem 1 and the line card 11 constituting the subscriber transmission device, the total power consumption of the subscriber transmission device can be significantly increased. It became possible to reduce to. Needless to say, it is desirable to provide the above-mentioned power consumption reducing means on both the modem 1 and the line card 11.

【0052】

[Effect of the invention]

As described above, according to the subscriber transmission device of the present invention, in the subscriber transmission device composed of a terminal, a modem, a line card, and a host device, there is no valid data transfer between the modem and the line card. In addition, by stopping the function of the transmitter of the line card and modem, the power consumption of the line card and modem that are always connected can be reduced, and as a result, the overall power consumption of the subscriber transmission device can be reduced. It has an excellent effect of being able to do it.

[Simple explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a modem according to an embodiment of the subscriber transmission device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a line card according to an embodiment of the subscriber transmission device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration diagram and a protocol stack related to a conventional subscriber transmission device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Modem 2 Terminal 3 Receiver 4 Packet communication monitoring function 5 Buffer 6 Communication 7 Hybrid circuit 8 Transmitter 9 Communication function Control circuit 10 Receiver 11 Line card 12 Hybrid circuit 13 Receiver 14 Transmitter 15 Buffer 16 Packet communication monitoring function 17 Transmission function control circuit 18 Upper device 21 Subscriber transmission device 22 Terminal 23 Modem 24 Line card 25 Upper device 26 HTTP27 TCP28 IP29 PPP30 AAL531 ATM cell 32 Ether33 ADSL34 OC-3