TWI519187B - Wireless and its backhaul network equipment co-operation energy-saving systems and methods - Google Patents

Description

Wireless and its backhaul network equipment cooperating energy-saving system and method

The present invention relates to an energy-saving system and method; in particular, to a system and method for wirelessly and its backhaul network devices to operate in a coordinated manner to initiate respective energy-saving mechanisms of wireless and its backhaul network devices.

The explosive growth of mobile data services in recent years has prompted telecom companies to continuously increase the capacity of mobile access networks, including the construction of more base stations, the introduction of new mobile communication technologies, and the expansion of base stations and their controllers. The bandwidth of the backhaul network, the construction of a larger number of Wi-Fi networks to offload mobile services, etc., will lead to an increase in the overall mobile network energy consumption.

Since more than 80% of greenhouse gas emissions from telecom companies come from the power consumption of offices, telecommunications rooms, and network equipment, various energy-saving measures are needed to reduce operating costs or to fulfill corporate social responsibility. Reduce power consumption.

International standards organizations also attach great importance to energy conservation issues and have incorporated energy-saving mechanisms into their standards. Therefore, many network devices have energy-saving mechanisms in their own right. For example, the 3GPP standards organization has developed a base station cell festival in Release 9 (TS 36.423). The energy mechanism, when a base station cell evaluates that it does not need to provide services, it can inform the neighboring base station through the X2 interface. If it receives the consent of the neighboring base station, it will turn off the function to become the deactivated base station cell to save power consumption. The neighboring base station can also activate the deactivated base station cells through the X2 interface to resume normal operation. In addition, 3GPP has also developed a scheme for enabling or disabling base station cell energy saving through a network management system in a timed or irregular manner.

WiMAX defines a power saving mode in IEEE 802.16e, which consists of alternating sleep periods and listening periods, and reduces power consumption by cutting off the connection between the mobile station and the serving base station during the sleep period.

PON has also begun to focus on energy conservation issues. In the XG-PON1 related standard ITU-T G.987.3, two energy management mechanisms are defined, including doze mode and cyclic sleep mode; in hiccup mode, the ONU device turns off its transmitter and can only receive Downlink traffic cannot transmit uplink data; in cyclic sleep mode, the ONU device turns off its sender and receiver and cannot receive or transmit any traffic.

On the other hand, energy saving itself is also a hot research topic, and the number of related patents and papers is huge. For example, TW 201023540 is applied to network transmission equipment with MIMO wireless transmission module, according to whether MIMO wireless transmission module has wireless user connection and The pre-set schedule starts the energy saving mechanism. WO 2010151186 A1 invents a mechanism for base station sleep and wake-up to improve the energy efficiency of the base station. WO 2011006847 A1 is an energy saving method applied between two base stations.

It is expected that more and more network devices will have standardized or non-standardized energy-saving mechanisms in the near future, but the energy-saving mechanisms of different types of network devices operate independently and have no connection with each other. From the perspective of the overall network architecture, wireless network devices, such as base stations or built in public hotspots Wi-Fi APs are usually paired with a dedicated backhaul network device. If the wireless network device has activated the energy-saving mechanism, but its dedicated backhaul network device is still in normal operation, it is obviously a dead-end network device. It is just a waste of electricity and no benefit.

It can be seen that there are still many shortcomings in the above-mentioned methods of use, which is not a good design, but needs to be improved.

In view of the shortcomings derived from the above-mentioned conventional methods, the inventor of the present invention has improved and innovated, and after years of painstaking research, he finally succeeded in researching and developing this invention.

The object of the present invention is to provide an energy-saving system and method for wirelessly cooperating with its backhaul network equipment, and utilizing a cooperative operation mechanism between the wireless network device and its backhaul network device to reach the wireless network device and the backhaul network device. In essence, the respective energy-saving mechanisms are simultaneously started and terminated, and the maximum energy-saving benefits are obtained without affecting normal operation.

The present invention relates to an energy-saving system and method for wirelessly cooperating with a backhaul network device for achieving the above object, and when the wireless network device is to start the energy-saving mechanism, first notifying the back-end network device of an energy-saving mechanism duration, the wireless network The device starts the energy saving mechanism; after receiving the notification, the backhaul network device starts the energy saving mechanism of the backhaul network device according to the duration of the energy saving mechanism, so as to achieve the energy saving mechanism of both the wireless network device and the backhaul network device. Synchronous start and end, to achieve energy efficiency.

A wireless provided by the present invention cooperates with its backhaul network equipment When operating energy-saving systems and methods, when compared with other conventional technologies, they have the following advantages:

1. The present invention utilizes the existing energy saving mechanism of wireless and its backhaul network equipment, and only expands the cooperative operation mode between the two to achieve better energy saving effect and is easy to implement.

2. The invention can achieve the energy-saving mechanism of substantially simultaneously starting and ending the wireless network device and the backhaul network device, and obtain the maximum energy-saving benefit without affecting the normal operation.

1‧‧‧Wireless network equipment

2‧‧‧Network interface

3‧‧‧Backhaul network equipment

4‧‧‧Backhaul network

5‧‧‧Mental/Mobile Network Controller

S61~S68‧‧‧ Process steps

S71~S79‧‧‧ Process steps

Please refer to the detailed description of the present invention and its accompanying drawings, which can further understand the technical content of the present invention and its function. The related drawings are: FIG. 1 is a wireless system and method for cooperating with the backhaul network equipment of the present invention. System architecture diagram.

2 is a flow chart showing the operation of the wireless system and method for cooperating with the backhaul network device of the present invention.

3 is a flow chart showing another operation of the wireless system and method for cooperating with the backhaul network device of the present invention.

4 is a flow chart showing another operation of the wireless system and method for cooperating with the backhaul network device of the present invention.

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention clearer The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It is understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the invention and are not intended to limit the invention.

The present invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Referring to FIG. 1, FIG. 1 is a system architecture diagram of an energy-saving system and method for wirelessly cooperating with a backhaul network device of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the wireless network device 1 having the energy saving mechanism is connected to the backhaul network device 3 having the energy saving mechanism by a network interface 2, and the backhaul network device 3 transmits the traffic from the wireless network device 1 via A backhaul network 4 is transmitted back to the gateway/action network controller 5, and the gateway/action network controller 5 directs the traffic from the wireless network device 1 to the internet and the mobile core network. Or service server.

The wireless network device 1 and the gateway/mobile network controller 5 are devices of the same type of technology. For example, if the wireless network device 1 is a GSM BTS base station, the gateway/action network controller 5 That is, a BSC device; if the wireless network device 1 is a WCDMA NodeB base station, the gateway/mobile network controller 5 is an RNC device; if the wireless network device 1 is an LTE eNodeB base station, then The gateway/action network controller 5 is an MME device; if the wireless network device 1 is a Wi-Fi AP or a Femtocell, the gateway/action network controller 5 is a gateway.

The network interface 2 of the wireless network device 1 and the backhaul network device 3 usually uses a wired network interface, such as Ethernet, E1, etc., and can also be a wireless network interface, such as microwave, Wi-Fi, WiMAX, WCDMA, HSPA, LTE, LTE-A, etc. Backhaul network equipment 3 and backhaul network 4 usually use wired network technologies, such as Ethernet, MPLS, MPLS-TP, NG SDH, PON, xDSL, etc., and can also use various wireless network technologies, such as microwave, Wi-Fi. , WiMAX, WCDMA, HSPA, LTE, LTE-A, etc., in response to the network technology used in the backhaul network 4, the backhaul network device 3 may actually be a switch supporting Ethernet, MPLS or MPLS-TP, NG SDH ADM Equipment, PON ONU equipment, VDSL VTU-R equipment, home gateways or repeaters for wireless networks, etc.

When the wireless network device 1 wants to start its own energy saving mechanism, it first determines the duration of an energy saving mechanism, and notifies the backhaul network device 3 via the network interface 2 to start the energy saving mechanism. After receiving the notification from the wireless network device 1, the backhaul network device 3 activates the energy saving mechanism of the backhaul network device 3 according to the duration of the energy saving mechanism. After the energy saving mechanism has reached the duration of the energy saving mechanism, the wireless network device 1 and the backhaul network device 3 each end the energy saving mechanism and return to the normal mode. Since the wireless network device 1 is directly connected to the backhaul network device 3 through the network interface 2, the distance is usually short, and the transmission delay of messages between the two is negligible, so that the present invention can achieve substantially synchronous start and end of the wireless network device. 1 and the energy-saving mechanism of the backhaul network device 3 can obtain the maximum energy saving benefit without affecting the normal operation.

The above is the case where the backhaul network device 3 belongs to the wireless network device 1 dedicated device. However, the backhaul network device 3 usually has multiple network interfaces, which may not belong to the wireless network device 1 dedicated device, such as the base station shared station. In this case, a backhaul network device 3 may be associated with a GSM BTS base station and a WCDMA NodeB base station; or in a home network, the backhaul network device 3 may be connected to a wireless network device 1 Wi-Fi. The AP will also connect multiple computers to provide a variety of Internet services. If the backhaul network device 3 is connected to other devices, it is not possible to immediately start the energy saving mechanism only by receiving the power saving mechanism duration notification from the wireless network device 1, and must first detect all the network interfaces 2, confirming that in addition to the wireless Network interface of network device 1 connected to the backhaul network device 3 Except for 2, the rest of the network interface is not working properly (including the unconnected or activated energy-saving mechanism), and the backhaul network device 3 starts the energy-saving mechanism at this time.

Please refer to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing the operation of the wireless system and method for cooperating with the backhaul network device of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the method may include at least the following steps: The S61 wireless network device determines that the energy saving mechanism is about to be started.

The S62 wireless network device determines the duration of the energy saving mechanism.

The S63 wireless network device sends a notification to notify the backhaul network device of the duration of the power saving mechanism.

The S64 wireless network device activates the energy saving mechanism according to the duration of the energy saving mechanism.

The S65 has reached the duration of the energy saving mechanism, and the wireless network device ends the energy saving mechanism and returns to the normal mode.

The S66 backhaul network device receives a notification of the duration of the energy saving mechanism.

The S67 backhaul network device detects the status of all its network interfaces.

The S68 backhaul network device confirms that the network interfaces other than the network interface connected to the wireless network device are not working properly, that is, the energy saving mechanism is activated according to the duration of the energy saving mechanism.

Among them, the backhaul network device confirms that in addition to the network interface connected to the wireless network device, if other network interfaces are in operation, the energy saving mechanism will not be activated; or if the backhaul network device has previously started the energy saving mechanism, S65 After the energy saving mechanism has been reached, the energy saving mechanism is terminated and returned to the normal mode.

In addition, please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, Considering the time required for the wireless network device 1 to end the energy saving mechanism and return to the normal mode, the time required for the backhaul network device 3 to end the energy saving mechanism and return to the normal mode is likely to be different. Therefore, the backhaul network When the road device 3 starts the energy saving mechanism according to the duration of the energy saving mechanism, the time difference may be considered, and the energy saving mechanism duration of the backhaul network device 3 itself is adjusted, so that the wireless network device 1 and the backhaul network device 3 The energy saving mechanism can achieve substantially synchronous start and end.

Please refer to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of another operation of the wireless system and method for cooperating with the backhaul network device of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the system includes a wireless network device and has a first energy saving mechanism, and the backhaul network device has a second energy saving mechanism, which is to cooperate with the backhaul network device by using the wireless network device, The step may include: S71. The wireless network device determines an energy saving mechanism duration before inputting the first energy saving mechanism; and S72. the wireless network device sends the energy saving mechanism duration notification to the backhaul network device S73. The wireless network device starts the first energy saving mechanism according to the duration of the energy saving mechanism; S74. The backhaul network device receives the energy saving mechanism duration notification; S75. The backhaul network device according to the energy saving mechanism duration Activating the second energy saving mechanism; S76. reaching the energy saving mechanism duration, the wireless network device ends the first energy saving mechanism, and returns to the normal mode; and S77. has reached the energy saving mechanism duration, and the backhaul network device ends the Second quarter The mechanism can be restored to normal mode.

Please refer to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is another operational flowchart of the wireless system and method for cooperating with the backhaul network device of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, the operation flowchart of FIG. 3 may further include: S78. The backhaul network device detects the status of all network interfaces thereof; and S79. The backhaul network device confirms that the wireless network is in addition to the wireless network. Except for the network interface connected to the backhaul network device, the other network interfaces are not working properly.

The detailed description of the present invention is intended to be illustrative of a preferred embodiment of the invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The patent scope of this case.

To sum up, this case is not only innovative in terms of technical thinking, but also has many of the above-mentioned functions that are not in the traditional methods of the past. It has fully complied with the statutory invention patent requirements of novelty and progressiveness, and applied for it according to law. Approved this invention patent application, in order to invent invention, to the sense of virtue.

S61~S68‧‧‧ Process steps

Claims (10)

A wireless energy-saving system for cooperating with a backhaul network device, comprising at least: a wireless network device having a first energy saving mechanism; and a backhaul network device having a second energy saving mechanism, a network interface and the wireless network The device is connected to the network device. When the wireless network device starts the first energy saving mechanism, first notify the backhaul network device of the power saving mechanism determined by the wireless network device, and then start the first An energy saving mechanism, and the backhaul network device receives the notification, and starts the second energy saving mechanism according to the duration of the energy saving mechanism. The wireless device and the backhaul network device cooperate with the energy-saving system according to claim 1, wherein the backhaul network device detects all network interfaces before starting the second energy-saving mechanism, and confirms that the wireless network is Except for the network interface connected to the backhaul network device, the other network interfaces are not working properly. For example, the wireless device described in claim 1 cooperates with its backhaul network device to operate an energy-saving system, wherein the backhaul network device uses wired network technology or wireless network technology to transmit the wireless network device's traffic back. To the gateway or mobile network controller. For example, the wireless device described in claim 1 cooperates with its backhaul network device to operate an energy-saving system, wherein the network interface is a wired network interface or a wireless network interface. Wireless and its backhaul network equipment work together to save energy, a network The interface is connected to a wireless network device, is operated by a wireless network, and is an energy-saving backhaul network device, which has a first energy saving mechanism, and activates the energy saving mechanism according to the duration of the energy saving mechanism notified by the wireless network device. . The method for cooperating with a wireless device and a backhaul network device thereof according to claim 5, wherein the backhaul network device detects all network interfaces before starting the second energy saving mechanism, and confirms that the wireless network is Except for the network interface connected to the backhaul network device, the other network interfaces are not working properly. The method for cooperating with a wireless device and a backhaul network device thereof according to claim 5, wherein the backhaul network device uses wired network technology or wireless network technology to transmit the wireless network device's traffic back. To the gateway or mobile network controller. The wireless device and the backhaul network device cooperate with the energy saving method according to claim 5, wherein the network interface is a wired network interface or a wireless network interface. A wireless energy-saving method for cooperating with a backhaul network device, comprising a wireless network device and having a first energy saving mechanism, and the backhaul network device having a second energy saving mechanism for utilizing the wireless network device and the backhaul network device In cooperation, the steps include at least: A. determining, by the wireless network device, an energy saving mechanism duration before inputting the first energy saving mechanism; B. transmitting, by the wireless network device, a notification of the duration of the energy saving mechanism to the backhaul a network device; C. the wireless network device starts the first according to the duration of the energy saving mechanism The energy saving mechanism; D. the backhaul network device receives the energy saving mechanism duration notification; E. the backhaul network device starts the second energy saving mechanism according to the duration of the energy saving mechanism; F. reaches the energy saving mechanism duration, the wireless network The road device ends the first energy saving mechanism and returns to the normal mode; and G. has reached the energy saving mechanism duration, and the backhaul network device ends the second energy saving mechanism and returns to the normal mode. The method for cooperating with the wireless device and the backhaul network device as described in claim 9 includes the steps of: H. the backhaul network device detects the state of all the network interfaces; and I. the backhaul network The device confirms that the network interfaces are not functioning properly except for the network interface to which the wireless network device is connected to the backhaul network device.