Optical communication device, control method, and control program

Abstract

An OLT (100) has a battery (270) and a transmission circuit (221), and transmits power-feed light to an optically powered ONU (200) that runs, at least in part, on the battery (270). The OLT (100) has a communication unit (120) that receives a frame containing an amount of transmission data from the optically powered ONU (200) and a control unit (130) that determines whether or not the optically powered ONU (200) has transmission data on the basis of the amount of transmission data. If the optically powered ONU (200) has no transmission data, the communication unit (120) transmits an instruction to the optically powered ONU (200) to put the transmission circuit (221) to sleep.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an optical communication device, a control method, and a control program. [Background technology]

[0002] A PON (Passive Optical Network) system is a well-known optical communication system. The PON system includes an optical communication device (also called a master station) installed in a telecommunications carrier's office and multiple optical communication devices (also called slave station devices) on the subscriber side (also called slave station side). The master station device is called an OLT (Optical Line Termination). The slave station devices are called ONUs (Optical Network Units).

[0003] Furthermore, in optical communication systems, optical power supply systems are known, and for example, Patent Document 1 describes an optical power supply system. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2022 / 107333 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In optical communication systems, power saving is desired. For example, power saving can be achieved in optical communication systems by reducing the power consumption of ONUs. However, how to reduce the power consumption of ONUs is a problem.

[0006] The purpose of this disclosure is to reduce the power consumption of an ONU. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an optical communication device, the optical communication device being a master station device that includes a battery and a transmission circuit and transmits powered light to a slave station device that is at least partially powered by the battery. The optical communication device includes a transmission data amount that is the amount of data that the slave station device wishes to transmit to the master station device; A remaining battery capacity, which is the remaining capacity of the battery, and a power consumption amount, which is the amount of power consumed when transmitting data. a communication unit that receives a frame including the Based on the amount of transmission data, the remaining battery charge, and the amount of power consumption, it is determined whether the slave station device can transmit the transmission data with the remaining battery charge. and a control unit for controlling the The transmission data is data that the slave station device transmits to the master station device. The communication unit ,before If the slave station device is unable to transmit the transmission data due to the remaining battery charge, an instruction is sent to the slave station device to put the transmission circuit into a sleep state. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to reduce the power consumption of an ONU. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an optical power supply system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating hardware included in an OLT according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating functions of the optical power supply system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing executed by the OLT according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating functions of an optical power supply system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing executed by an OLT according to the second embodiment. [Figure 7] 11 is a flowchart showing an example (part 1) of a process executed by the OLT according to the third embodiment. [Figure 8] 13 is a flowchart showing an example (part 2) of a process executed by the OLT according to the third embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating functions of an optical power supply system according to a fourth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are merely examples, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0011] Embodiment 1 1 is a diagram illustrating an optical power supply system according to a first embodiment. The optical power supply system includes an OLT 100, an optically powered ONU 200, and ONUs 300_1, 300_2, . . . , 300_n. The ONUs 300_1, 300_2, . . . , 300_n are normal ONUs. Furthermore, n is a positive integer.

[0012] The OLT 100, the optically powered ONU 200, and the ONUs 300_1, 300_2, . . . , 300_n communicate with each other via an optical coupler 10. The OLT 100 and the optically powered ONUs 200 are connected to each other via an optical fiber 11 dedicated to optical power feeding.

[0013] The OLT 100 is a device that executes the control method, and may also be expressed as a computer. The OLT 100 also includes a power-supply light source device 101. The power-supply light source device 101 may also be located outside the OLT 100. When the power-supply light source device 101 is located outside the OLT 100, the power-supply light source device 101 is connected to the OLT 100 via a network. When the power-supply light source device 101 is located outside the OLT 100, the power-supply light source device 101 is connected to the optically powered ONU 200 via an optical fiber 11.

[0014] In the optical power supply system, normal optical communication is performed via an optical coupler 10. Optical power supply is performed via an optical fiber 11.

[0015] Next, the hardware of the OLT 100 will be described. 2 is a diagram showing hardware included in the OLT of embodiment 1. The OLT 100 includes a processor 100a, a volatile storage device 100b, and a non-volatile storage device 100c.

[0016] The processor 100a controls the entire OLT 100. For example, the processor 100a is a central processing unit (CPU) or a field programmable gate array (FPGA). The processor 100a may be a multiprocessor. The OLT 100 may also include a processing circuit.

[0017] The volatile storage device 100b is a main storage device of the OLT 100. For example, the volatile storage device 100b is a RAM (Random Access Memory). The non-volatile storage device 100c is an auxiliary storage device of the OLT 100. For example, the non-volatile storage device 100c is an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive). Similarly, the optically powered ONU 200 and the ONUs 300_1 to 300_n each include a processor, a volatile storage device, and a nonvolatile storage device.

[0018] Next, the function of the optical power supply system will be described. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing functions of the optical power supply system according to the embodiment 1. In Fig. 3, description of the functions of the ONUs 300_1 to 300_n will be omitted. The OLT 100 includes a storage unit 110, a communication unit 120, a control unit 130, a management unit 140, and a power supply light source unit 150.

[0019] The storage unit 110 may be realized as a storage area secured in the volatile storage device 100b or the non-volatile storage device 100c. Some or all of the communication unit 120, the control unit 130, and the management unit 140 may be implemented by a processing circuit. Alternatively, some or all of the communication unit 120, the control unit 130, and the management unit 140 may be implemented as program modules executed by the processor 100a. For example, the program executed by the processor 100a is also referred to as a control program. For example, the control program is recorded on a recording medium. The power-supply light source unit 150 is realized by a power-supply light source device 101 .

[0020] The storage unit 110 stores various information. The communication unit 120 performs optical communication with the optically powered ONU 200 and the ONUs 300_1 to 300_n. The function of the control unit 130 will be explained in detail later. The management unit 140 manages the optical power supply schedule and transmits an instruction to the power supply light source unit 150 to emit power supply light based on the optical power supply schedule. The power supply light source unit 150 emits power supply light based on the light emission instruction, and the power supply light is transmitted to the optical power supply ONU 200.

[0021] The optically powered ONU 200 includes a storage unit 210 , a communication unit 220 , a control unit 230 , a monitoring unit 240 , an optical receiving unit 250 , an opto-electrical conversion unit 260 , and a battery 270 .

[0022] The storage unit 210 may be realized as a storage area secured in a volatile storage device or a non-volatile storage device of the optical power feeding ONU 200. The communication unit 220 is realized by a transmission circuit 221 and a reception circuit 222 . Some or all of the control unit 230, the monitoring unit 240, the optical receiving unit 250, and the photoelectric conversion unit 260 may be realized by a processing circuit of the optical power supply ONU 200. Furthermore, some or all of the control unit 230, the monitoring unit 240, the optical receiving unit 250, and the photoelectric conversion unit 260 may be realized as program modules executed by a processor of the optical power supply ONU 200.

[0023] The storage unit 210 stores various information. Here, a sensor or the like is connected to the optical power supply ONU 200. The sensor or the like may transmit transmission data to be transmitted to the OLT 100 to the optical power supply ONU 200. When the sensor or the like transmits transmission data to the optical power supply ONU 200, the transmission data is temporarily stored in the storage unit 210.

[0024] The communication unit 220 performs optical communication with the OLT 100 . The function of the control unit 230 will be explained in detail later. The monitoring unit 240 monitors the battery 270. In particular, the monitoring unit 240 monitors the remaining charge of the battery 270. The optical receiver 250 receives the power supply light. The photoelectric conversion unit 260 performs photoelectric conversion using the power supply light. The electric energy obtained by the photoelectric conversion is stored in the battery 270. The power stored in the battery 270 is used for the operation of at least a part of the optically powered ONU 200. In other words, at least a part of the optically powered ONU 200 operates on the battery 270.

[0025] Next, the processing executed by the OLT 100 will be described using a flowchart. In the optical communication between the OLT 100 and the ONUs 300_1 to 300_n, normal operations performed in a PON system are carried out. Therefore, a description of the optical communication between the OLT 100 and the ONUs 300_1 to 300_n will be omitted. In addition, in the optical communication between the OLT 100 and the optically powered ONU 200, normal operations performed in a PON system are also carried out. However, in the optical communication between the OLT 100 and the optically powered ONU 200, a partially different operation is carried out. Therefore, the mainly different operations in the optical communication between the OLT 100 and the optically powered ONU 200 will be described below.

[0026] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing executed by the OLT according to the first embodiment. (Step S11) The communication unit 120 receives a Report frame from the optically powered ONU 200. The Report frame is also called a communication request signal. The Report frame includes the amount of data to be transmitted (unit: bytes), the remaining battery charge (unit: mW) of the battery 270, and the amount of power consumed when transmitting data (unit: mW / byte). The amount of data to be transmitted is the amount of data that the optically powered ONU 200 wants to transmit to the OLT 100.

[0027] (Step S12) Based on the amount of transmission data, the control unit 130 determines whether the optically powered ONU 200 has transmission data to transmit to the OLT 100. Specifically, if the amount of transmission data is other than 0, the control unit 130 determines that the optically powered ONU 200 has transmission data. If the condition is met, the process proceeds to step S13. If the condition is not met, the process proceeds to step S15.

[0028] (Step S13) Based on the amount of transmission data, the remaining battery power, and the power consumption, the control unit 130 determines whether the optically powered ONU 200 can transmit the transmission data with the remaining battery power. Specifically, if the condition "amount of transmission data x power consumption > remaining battery power" is satisfied, the control unit 130 determines that the optically powered ONU 200 cannot transmit the transmission data with the remaining battery power. If the optically powered ONU 200 can transmit the transmission data with the remaining battery charge, the process proceeds to step S14. If the optically powered ONU 200 cannot transmit the transmission data with the remaining battery charge, the process proceeds to step S15.

[0029] (Step S14) The control unit 130 transmits a Normal Gate frame to the optically powered ONU 200. The Normal Gate frame includes a transmission permission time. Therefore, the Normal Gate frame may be called a transmission permission frame. Then, the process proceeds to step S11.

[0030] (Step S15) The communication unit 120 transmits an instruction to the optical power supply ONU 200 to put the transmission circuit 221 into a sleep state. Specifically, the communication unit 120 converts the instruction (i.e., an electrical signal) into an optical signal and transmits the optical signal to the optical power supply ONU 200. This causes the control unit 230 to put the transmission circuit 221 into a sleep state. Note that while the transmission circuit 221 is in the sleep state, the reception circuit 222 is in an active state. Therefore, the reception circuit 222 can receive information from the OLT 100.

[0031] (Step S16) The communication unit 120 transmits a command to cancel the sleep state to the optical power supply ONU 200. Specifically, the communication unit 120 converts the cancel command (i.e., an electrical signal) into an optical signal and transmits the optical signal to the optical power supply ONU 200. The timing of transmitting the cancel command may be any time. When the receiving circuit 222 receives the cancel command, the control unit 230 cancels the sleep state of the transmitting circuit 221. Then, the process proceeds to step S11.

[0032] In the above description, the optical power supply ONU 200 cancels the sleep state of the transmission circuit 221 when receiving a cancellation instruction from the OLT 100. The optical power supply ONU 200 may also autonomously cancel the sleep state of the transmission circuit 221. When the optical power supply ONU 200 operates autonomously, the operation of the optical power supply ONU 200 becomes asynchronous with the transmission / reception schedule managed by the OLT 100. Therefore, the optical power supply ONU 200 may transmit a Report frame to the OLT 100 immediately after the sleep state is canceled.

[0033] Here, the power consumption of the transmission circuit 221 accounts for a large proportion of the power consumption of the optically powered ONU 200. According to the first embodiment, the OLT 100 causes the transmission circuit 221 to transition to a sleep state. This reduces the power consumption of the optically powered ONU 200. Therefore, the OLT 100 can reduce the power consumption of the optically powered ONU 200.

[0034] Furthermore, when the optically powered ONU 200 is unable to transmit data due to the remaining battery charge, the OLT 100 puts the transmission circuit 221 into a sleep state. This prevents the transmission data from being interrupted midway. Furthermore, because the transmission circuit 221 is put into a sleep state, the power consumption of the optically powered ONU 200 is reduced.

[0035] Embodiment 2 Next, a description will be given of embodiment 2. In embodiment 2, differences from embodiment 1 will be mainly described. Furthermore, in embodiment 2, description of matters common to embodiment 1 will be omitted. In the first embodiment, the case where the transmission circuit 221 goes into a sleep state has been described. In the second embodiment, the case where the transmission circuit 221 and the reception circuit 222 go into a sleep state will be described.

[0036] 5 is a diagram showing the functions of the optical power supply system according to the embodiment 2. The optical power supply ONU 200 further includes a timer 280.

[0037] Next, the processing executed by the OLT 100 will be explained using a flowchart. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of processing executed by the OLT of embodiment 2. The processing in Fig. 6 differs from the processing in Fig. 4 in that step S15a is executed, but step S16 is not executed. Therefore, step S15a will be explained in Fig. 6. Explanation of processing other than step S15a will be omitted.

[0038] (Step S15a) The communication unit 120 transmits an instruction to the optically powered ONU 200 to put the transmission circuit 221 and the reception circuit 222 into a sleep state. As a result, the control unit 230 puts the transmission circuit 221 and the reception circuit 222 into a sleep state.

[0039] Here, the receiving circuit 222 is in a sleep state. Therefore, unlike in the first embodiment, the receiving circuit 222 cannot receive an instruction to release the sleep state. Therefore, the control unit 230 releases the sleep state of the transmitting circuit 221 and the sleep state of the receiving circuit 222 using the timer 280. For example, the control unit 230 releases the sleep state of the transmitting circuit 221 and the sleep state of the receiving circuit 222 after a predetermined time has elapsed since the transmitting circuit 221 and the receiving circuit 222 transitioned to the sleep state. After step S15a is completed, the process proceeds to step S11.

[0040] Note that when the optically powered ONU 200 operates autonomously using the timer 280, the operation of the optically powered ONU 200 becomes asynchronous with the transmission / reception schedule managed by the OLT 100. Therefore, the optically powered ONU 200 may transmit a Report frame to the OLT 100 immediately after the sleep state is released. If the amount of transmission data included in the Report frame is other than 0, the OLT 100 may prioritize the optically powered ONU 200 in transmitting data. Also, the optically powered ONU 200 does not need to transmit a Report frame to the OLT 100 immediately after the sleep state is released.

[0041] According to the second embodiment, the OLT 100 puts the transmitting circuit 221 and the receiving circuit 222 into a sleep state. This allows the OLT 100 to further reduce the power consumption of the optically powered ONU 200.

[0042] Embodiment 3 Next, a description will be given of embodiment 3. In embodiment 3, differences from embodiment 1 will be mainly described. Furthermore, in embodiment 3, description of matters common to embodiment 1 will be omitted.

[0043] Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing an example (part 1) of the process executed by the OLT of the third embodiment. The process in Fig. 7 differs from the process in Fig. 4 in that step S12b is executed. Therefore, step S12b will be explained in Fig. 7. Explanation of the process other than step S12b will be omitted. (Step S12b) The control unit 130 determines whether the remaining battery power is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold. If the remaining battery power is equal to or less than the threshold, the process proceeds to step S21. If the remaining battery power is greater than the threshold, the process proceeds to step S13.

[0044] FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example (part 2) of the process executed by the OLT according to the third embodiment. (Step S21) The communication unit 120 transmits a Normal Gate frame including an instruction to put the transmission circuit 221 into a sleep state to the optically powered ONU 200. As a result, after the communication unit 220 transmits the transmission data to the OLT 100, the control unit 230 puts the transmission circuit 221 into a sleep state. The Normal Gate frame is also called a transmission clear frame. Then, the process proceeds to step S16.

[0045] According to the third embodiment, when the optically powered ONU 200 has a margin for transmission based on the remaining battery power, the OLT 100 permits transmission and puts the transmission circuit 221 into a sleep state. Therefore, the OLT 100 puts the transmission circuit 221 into a sleep state, thereby reducing the power consumption of the optically powered ONU 200.

[0046] Furthermore, when the remaining battery power is equal to or less than a threshold, the OLT 100 may transmit a Normal Gate frame including an instruction to put the transmitting circuit 221 and the receiving circuit 222 into a sleep state to the optically powered ONU 200. As a result, after the optically powered ONU 200 transmits transmission data to the OLT 100, the control unit 230 puts the transmitting circuit 221 and the receiving circuit 222 into a sleep state. This allows the OLT 100 to further reduce the power consumption of the optically powered ONU 200.

[0047] Embodiment 4 Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. In the fourth embodiment, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described. In the fourth embodiment, descriptions of the commonalities between the first embodiment and the fourth embodiment will be omitted.

[0048] 9 is a diagram showing the functions of the optical power supply system according to the fourth embodiment. The OLT 100 further includes an alarm output unit 160. A part or all of the alarm output unit 160 may be realized by a processing circuit. Alternatively, a part or all of the alarm output unit 160 may be realized as a module of a program executed by the processor 100a.

[0049] Each time a Report frame is received, the control unit 130 calculates the amount of change in the remaining battery charge included in the Report frame. Specifically, the control unit 130 calculates the difference between the remaining battery charge received last time and the remaining battery charge received this time as the amount of change. The amount of change increases over time. If the amount of change is large, the OLT 100 can predict that the life of the battery 270 is short. If the amount of change is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the alarm output unit 160 outputs information indicating that the life of the battery 270 is short as an alarm. For example, the alarm output unit 160 outputs the alarm to a display. Also, for example, the alarm output unit 160 outputs the alarm to a speaker. This allows the administrator to recognize that the life of the battery 270 is short.

[0050] Furthermore, if the amount of change is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the communication unit 120 may transmit an instruction to the optically powered ONU 200 to transmit data in power save mode. This causes the optically powered ONU 200 to transmit data in power save mode. For example, the optically powered ONU 200 reduces the frequency of data transmission. In this way, the optically powered ONU 200 can continue data transmission even if the life of the battery 270 is short.

[0051] The features of the above-described embodiments can be combined with each other as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 10 optical coupler, 11 optical fiber, 100a processor, 100b volatile storage device, 100c non-volatile storage device, 101 power supply light source device, 110 memory unit, 120 communication unit, 130 control unit, 140 management unit, 150 power supply light source unit, 160 alarm output unit, 210 memory unit, 220 communication unit, 221 transmission circuit, 222 reception circuit, 230 control unit, 240 monitoring unit, 250 optical receiving unit, 260 photoelectric conversion unit, 270 battery, 280 timer, 300_1 to 300_n ONU.

Claims

1. An optical communication device that is a master station that has a battery and a transmission circuit and transmits powered light to a slave station that is at least partially powered by the battery, a communication unit that receives a frame from the slave station device, the frame including a transmission data amount that is an amount of data that the slave station device wishes to transmit to the master station device, a remaining battery amount that is a remaining charge of the battery, and a power consumption amount that is an amount of power consumed when transmitting the data; a control unit that determines whether the slave station device can transmit the transmission data with the remaining battery power based on the amount of transmission data, the remaining battery power, and the amount of power consumption; and the transmission data is data transmitted from the slave station device to the master station device, the communication unit transmits an instruction to the slave station device to put the transmission circuit into a sleep state when the slave station device is unable to transmit the transmission data due to the remaining battery charge; Optical communication equipment.

2. the slave station device further includes a receiving circuit; the communication unit transmits an instruction to the slave station device to put the transmission circuit and the reception circuit into a sleep state when the slave station device is unable to transmit the transmission data due to the remaining battery charge; 2. The optical communication device according to claim 1.

3. An optical communication device that is a master station that has a battery and a transmission circuit and transmits powered light to a slave station that is at least partially powered by the battery, a communication unit that receives a frame from the slave station device, the frame including a transmission data amount that is an amount of data that the slave station device wishes to transmit to the master station device, and a battery remaining amount that is a remaining amount of the battery; a control unit that determines whether the slave station device has transmission data to transmit to the master station device based on the amount of transmission data, and determines whether the remaining battery charge is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold; and the communication unit transmits to the slave station device a transmission permission frame including an instruction to put the transmission circuit into a sleep state when the slave station device has the transmission data and the remaining battery charge is equal to or less than the threshold value; Optical communication equipment.

4. the slave station device further includes a receiving circuit; the communication unit transmits, to the slave station device, a transmission permission frame including an instruction to put the transmitting circuit and the receiving circuit into a sleep state, when the slave station device has the transmission data and the remaining battery charge is equal to or less than the threshold value; 4. The optical communication device according to claim 3.

5. An optical communication device that is a master station that has a battery and a transmission circuit and transmits powered light to a slave station that is at least partially powered by the battery, a communication unit that receives a frame from the slave station device, the frame including a transmission data amount that is an amount of data that the slave station device wishes to transmit to the master station device, and a battery remaining amount that is a remaining amount of the battery; a control unit that determines whether the slave station device has transmission data to transmit to the master station device based on the amount of transmission data, and calculates the amount of change in the remaining battery charge included in the frame each time the frame is received; an alarm output unit; and the communication unit transmits an instruction to the slave station device to put the transmission circuit into a sleep state when the slave station device does not have the transmission data; the alarm output unit outputs information indicating that the battery life is short as an alarm when the amount of change is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. Optical communication equipment.

6. An optical communication device that is a master station that has a battery and a transmission circuit and transmits powered light to a slave station that is at least partially powered by the battery, a communication unit that receives a frame from the slave station device, the frame including a transmission data amount that is an amount of data that the slave station device wishes to transmit to the master station device, and a battery remaining amount that is a remaining amount of the battery; a control unit that determines whether the slave station device has transmission data to transmit to the master station device based on the amount of transmission data, and calculates the amount of change in the remaining battery charge included in the frame each time the frame is received; and the communication unit transmits an instruction to the slave station device to put the transmission circuit into a sleep state when the slave station device does not have the transmission data; When the amount of change is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the communication unit transmits an instruction to the slave station device to transmit data in a power save mode. Optical communication equipment.

7. an optical communication device which is a master station having a battery and a transmission circuit and which transmits powered light to a slave station at least partly operated by the battery, receiving a frame from the slave station device, the frame including a transmission data amount, which is the amount of data that the slave station device wishes to transmit to the master station device, a remaining battery charge, which is the remaining charge of the battery, and a power consumption amount, which is the amount of power consumed when transmitting the data; determining whether the slave station device can transmit the transmission data with the remaining battery charge based on the amount of transmission data, the remaining battery charge, and the amount of power consumption; If the slave station device is unable to transmit the transmission data due to the remaining battery charge, an instruction is sent to the slave station device to put the transmission circuit into a sleep state; the transmission data is data transmitted from the slave station device to the master station device; Control method.

8. an optical communication device which is a master station having a battery and a transmission circuit and which transmits powered light to a slave station at least partly operated by the battery, receiving a frame from the slave station device, the frame including a transmission data amount, which is the amount of data that the slave station device wishes to transmit to the master station device, and a remaining battery amount, which is the remaining amount of the battery; determining whether the slave station device has data to transmit to the master station device based on the amount of transmission data, and determining whether the remaining battery charge is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold; transmitting a transmission permission frame to the slave station device, the transmission permission frame including an instruction to put the transmission circuit into a sleep state, when the slave station device has the transmission data and the remaining battery charge is equal to or less than the threshold value; Control method.

9. an optical communication device which is a master station having a battery and a transmission circuit and which transmits powered light to a slave station at least partly operated by the battery, receiving a frame from the slave station device, the frame including a transmission data amount, which is the amount of data that the slave station device wishes to transmit to the master station device, and a remaining battery amount, which is the remaining amount of the battery; determining whether the slave station device has data to transmit to the master station device based on the amount of transmission data; and calculating, each time the frame is received, an amount of change in the remaining battery charge included in the frame; If the slave station device does not have the transmission data, an instruction is sent to the slave station device to put the transmission circuit into a sleep state; If the amount of change is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, outputting information indicating that the battery life is short as an alarm. Control method.

10. an optical communication device which is a master station having a battery and a transmission circuit and which transmits powered light to a slave station at least partly operated by the battery, receiving a frame from the slave station device, the frame including a transmission data amount, which is the amount of data that the slave station device wishes to transmit to the master station device, and a remaining battery amount, which is the remaining amount of the battery; determining whether the slave station device has data to transmit to the master station device based on the amount of transmission data; and calculating, each time the frame is received, an amount of change in the remaining battery charge included in the frame; If the slave station device does not have the transmission data, an instruction is sent to the slave station device to put the transmission circuit into a sleep state; If the amount of change is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, an instruction is sent to the slave station device to transmit data in a power save mode. Control method.

11. a computer that is a master station device that has a battery and a transmission circuit and transmits power supply light to slave station devices that are at least partly powered by the battery; receiving a frame from the slave station device, the frame including a transmission data amount, which is the amount of data that the slave station device wishes to transmit to the master station device, a remaining battery charge, which is the remaining charge of the battery, and a power consumption amount, which is the amount of power consumed when transmitting the data; determining whether the slave station device can transmit the transmission data with the remaining battery charge based on the amount of transmission data, the remaining battery charge, and the amount of power consumption; If the slave station device is unable to transmit the transmission data due to the remaining battery charge, an instruction is sent to the slave station device to put the transmission circuit into a sleep state. A control program that executes the process, the transmission data is data transmitted from the slave station device to the master station device; Control program.

12. a computer that is a master station device that has a battery and a transmission circuit and transmits power supply light to slave station devices that are at least partly powered by the battery; receiving a frame from the slave station device, the frame including a transmission data amount, which is the amount of data that the slave station device wishes to transmit to the master station device, and a remaining battery amount, which is the remaining amount of the battery; determining whether the slave station device has data to transmit to the master station device based on the amount of transmission data, and determining whether the remaining battery charge is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold; transmitting a transmission permission frame to the slave station device, the transmission permission frame including an instruction to put the transmission circuit into a sleep state, when the slave station device has the transmission data and the remaining battery charge is equal to or less than the threshold value; A control program that executes processing.

13. a computer that is a master station device that has a battery and a transmission circuit and transmits power supply light to slave station devices that are at least partly powered by the battery; receiving a frame from the slave station device, the frame including a transmission data amount, which is the amount of data that the slave station device wishes to transmit to the master station device, and a remaining battery amount, which is the remaining amount of the battery; determining whether the slave station device has data to transmit to the master station device based on the amount of transmission data; and calculating, each time the frame is received, an amount of change in the remaining battery charge included in the frame; If the slave station device does not have the transmission data, an instruction is sent to the slave station device to put the transmission circuit into a sleep state; If the amount of change is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, outputting information indicating that the battery life is short as an alarm. A control program that executes processing.

14. a computer that is a master station device that has a battery and a transmission circuit and transmits power supply light to slave station devices that are at least partly powered by the battery; receiving a frame from the slave station device, the frame including a transmission data amount, which is the amount of data that the slave station device wishes to transmit to the master station device, and a remaining battery amount, which is the remaining amount of the battery; determining whether the slave station device has data to transmit to the master station device based on the amount of transmission data; and calculating, each time the frame is received, an amount of change in the remaining battery charge included in the frame; If the slave station device does not have the transmission data, an instruction is sent to the slave station device to put the transmission circuit into a sleep state; If the amount of change is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, an instruction is sent to the slave station device to transmit data in a power save mode. A control program that executes processing.

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