Energy saving control method applied to FTTR, apparatus and system

Abstract

Disclosed in the embodiments of the present application are an energy saving control method applied to FTTR, and an apparatus and a system. A main device sends to a first sub-device a first message for instructing the first sub-device to enable an energy saving feature. On the basis of the first message, the first sub-device can acknowledge enabling the energy saving feature, and acquire its own energy saving capability. Then, by means of a second message, the first sub-device sends its own energy saving capability to the main device. It should be understood that the first sub-device acknowledging enabling the energy saving feature indicates that the first sub-device supports a switch to an energy saving state, which is equivalent to supporting energy saving scheduling by the main device. In this manner, because the main device can learn whether each sub-device can enable the energy saving feature and can learn the energy saving capability of each sub-device that can enable the energy saving feature, the main device can properly perform energy saving scheduling on the plurality of sub-devices on the basis of the learned information, thus better optimizing the energy saving effect.

Description

An energy-saving control method, device, and system for FTTR

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411564834.5, filed on November 4, 2024, entitled "An Energy-Saving Control Method, Apparatus and System for FTTR", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communications, and more particularly to an energy-saving control method, apparatus and system for FTTR. Background Technology

[0003] With the development of communication technology, fiber optic transmission is increasingly being used in communication systems, among which fiber to the room (FTTR) is a crucial component of optical networks. An FTTR system consists of a main device and sub-devices, connected via optical fiber. The main device, acting as an optical network terminal (ONT) or optical network unit (ONU) in a passive optical network (PON), is connected to the optical line terminal (OLT) at the operator's central office via optical fiber.

[0004] FTTR systems typically have multiple sub-devices. If all sub-devices always operate at normal speed, the overall power consumption will be high. In practical applications, it is possible for some sub-devices to switch to energy-saving mode during certain periods without affecting the overall operation of the FTTR system. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a method for the master device to reasonably schedule energy-saving operations for multiple sub-devices. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides an energy-saving control method, apparatus, and system for fiber-to-the-room (FTTR) applications. The master device can determine whether each sub-device can activate its energy-saving features, and the energy-saving capabilities of those sub-devices. Based on this information, the master device can then rationally schedule energy-saving operations across multiple sub-devices, thereby optimizing energy efficiency.

[0006] Firstly, embodiments of this application provide an energy-saving control method applied to FTTR (Fixed-Time Transmission). In the FTTR system, the master device is also referred to as the main FTTR unit (MFU), and the slave device is also referred to as the sub FTTR unit (SFU). This energy-saving control method is applied to the master device. Specifically, the master device sends a first message to a first slave device, instructing the first slave device to enable energy-saving features. The first slave device confirms the activation of energy-saving features based on the first message, indicating that the first slave device supports switching to energy-saving mode, which is equivalent to supporting the energy-saving scheduling of the master device. After confirming the activation of energy-saving features, the first slave device acquires energy-saving capabilities. Then, the master device receives a second message sent by the first slave device, the second message including the energy-saving capabilities of the first slave device.

[0007] In this implementation, since the master device can know whether each sub-device can activate its energy-saving features, and the energy-saving capabilities of those sub-devices, it can rationally schedule energy-saving operations for multiple sub-devices based on this information, thereby optimizing energy efficiency. Especially in FTTR systems, where multiple sub-devices are deployed in various rooms of a home or office to provide signals to user terminals, the master device's ability to collaboratively manage multiple sub-devices allows for better energy-saving performance in home or office scenarios.

[0008] In some possible implementations, after the master device sends a first message to the first sub-device, the method further includes: the master device receiving a third message sent by the first sub-device, the third message being used to instruct the first sub-device to confirm the activation of the energy-saving feature. That is, the third message can be regarded as an acknowledgment (ACK) message of the first message, enabling the master device to know that the first sub-device has confirmed the activation of the energy-saving feature, so that the master device can perform targeted energy-saving scheduling on the first sub-device.

[0009] In some possible implementations, before the master device sends the first message to the first sub-device, the method further includes: the master device sending a fourth message to the first sub-device, so that the first sub-device performs energy-saving configuration according to the configuration parameters in the fourth message. This is equivalent to the first sub-device updating and maintaining the configuration parameters locally, so that the first sub-device can cooperate with the master device's energy-saving scheduling in subsequent energy-saving main process stages based on the locally maintained configuration parameters. Especially in the FTTR system, leveraging the master device's ability to collaboratively manage multiple sub-devices, the master device can selectively issue energy-saving initialization configurations to each sub-device, enabling each sub-device to complete its corresponding energy-saving configuration, facilitating subsequent global energy-saving scheduling.

[0010] In some possible implementations, the configuration parameters include an energy-saving timer. After the master device sends a fourth message to the first sub-device, the method further includes: if the energy-saving timer configured by the first sub-device times out, the master device receives an alarm message sent by the first sub-device. For example, when the first sub-device receives an energy-saving scheduling instruction from the master device, it switches to energy-saving mode and starts the energy-saving timer. If the first sub-device has services to transmit and does not receive a new energy-saving scheduling instruction from the master device after the specified timeout period, i.e., the energy-saving timer times out, then the first sub-device can send an alarm message to the master device to prompt the master device to update the energy-saving scheduling strategy.

[0011] In some possible implementations, the configuration parameters include at least one of flow rate parameters and temperature parameters. The flow rate parameters include a low flow rate threshold and a high flow rate threshold, and the temperature parameters include a low temperature threshold and a high temperature threshold. The low flow rate threshold and the high flow rate threshold are a first set of reference thresholds for the first sub-device to switch to energy-saving mode, and the low temperature threshold and the high temperature threshold are a second set of reference thresholds for the first sub-device to switch to energy-saving mode. In this implementation, the first sub-device can be configured with flow rate parameters and temperature parameters, so the first sub-device can more rationally switch to energy-saving mode based on the flow rate and temperature conditions in its actual scenario, combined with the flow rate parameters and temperature parameters.

[0012] In some possible implementations, energy-saving capabilities include at least one of the following: radio unique identifier (RUID), supported bandwidth, shutdown capability, transition time, low-power listening, low-power listening transition time, supported stream number, supported modulation and coding scheme (MCS), transmit power, and supported energy-saving templates. It should be understood that the energy-saving capabilities listed above provide a valid reference for the master equipment to formulate energy-saving scheduling schemes, thereby enabling better optimization of energy-saving effects.

[0013] In some possible implementations, the energy-saving capability is obtained by the first sub-device based on acquired energy-saving statistical information, which is obtained by the first sub-device after confirming the activation of the energy-saving feature based on a first message. For example, the energy-saving capability can be at least one of the aforementioned energy-saving statistical information, meaning that the energy-saving capability belongs to the energy-saving statistical information. Another example is that the energy-saving capability is capability information obtained by the sub-device 1 through analysis or processing of the acquired energy-saving statistical information. In other words, the first sub-device first collects energy-saving statistical information closely related to its own energy-saving capability, and then obtains a more accurate energy-saving capability based on this statistical information. This allows the main device to formulate a more reasonable energy-saving scheduling plan based on the energy-saving capability of the first sub-device, thereby better optimizing the energy-saving effect.

[0014] In some possible implementations, the energy-saving statistics include at least one of the following: the number of stations (STAs) associated with the first sub-device, the average traffic of the first sub-device, the latency-sensitive identifier of the first sub-device, the traffic-running service identifier of the first sub-device, the average temperature of the first sub-device, the uplink service cache data of the STAs associated with the first sub-device, and the downlink service cache data of the STAs associated with the first sub-device. The energy-saving statistics listed here are all closely related to the energy-saving capabilities of the first sub-device, facilitating the first sub-device to report its own energy-saving capabilities to the master device based on the energy-saving statistics. This allows the master device to formulate more reasonable energy-saving scheduling plans, thereby better optimizing energy-saving effects.

[0015] In some possible implementations, after the master device receives the second message sent by the first sub-device, the method further includes: the master device sending a fifth message to the first sub-device, the fifth message instructing the first sub-device to disable the energy-saving feature; and the master device receiving a sixth message sent by the first sub-device, the sixth message instructing the first sub-device to confirm disabling the energy-saving feature. In this implementation, the master device can flexibly instruct the sub-device to enable or disable the energy-saving feature according to actual needs, thereby better adapting to actual application scenarios.

[0016] In some possible implementations, the first message includes an energy-saving field, which instructs the first sub-device to enable energy-saving features. Furthermore, the first message may also include at least one of the following: a time-domain scheduling field, an enhanced distribution channel access (EDCA) field, a roaming field, a spatial multiplexing field, a frequency-domain scheduling field, and a time synchronization field, wherein the time synchronization field may specifically be a Wi-Fi time synchronization field. A specific format for the first message is provided here, allowing the master device to manage the sub-device from multiple aspects, including energy saving, by issuing the first message.

[0017] In some possible implementations, the first message also includes the protocol version supported by the master device and the protocol version supported by the first slave device. It should be understood that if the first slave device does not support the protocol version, it will confirm that the power-saving feature is not enabled. This effectively provides the first slave device with a valid basis for determining whether to enable the power-saving feature.

[0018] In some possible implementations, the method further includes: the master device sending a seventh message to the second sub-device, the seventh message instructing the second sub-device to enable energy-saving features; and the master device receiving an eighth message from the second sub-device, the eighth message instructing the second sub-device to confirm that energy-saving features are not enabled. Therefore, the master device can disregard energy-saving scheduling for the second sub-device during the main energy-saving process phase, facilitating a more rational formulation of energy-saving scheduling strategies.

[0019] In some possible implementations, the eighth message is also used to instruct the second sub-device to confirm that the reason for not enabling the energy-saving feature is that the second sub-device has disabled the energy-saving feature, so that the master device understands why the second sub-device cannot enable the energy-saving feature, thus enriching the content of the interaction between the master device and the sub-device.

[0020] In some possible implementations, the seventh message also includes the protocol version supported by the master device, and the eighth message is also used to instruct the second sub-device to confirm that the reason for not enabling the energy-saving feature is that the second sub-device does not support the protocol version, so that the master device understands the reason why the second sub-device cannot enable the energy-saving feature, thus enriching the content of the interaction between the master device and the sub-device.

[0021] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide an energy-saving control method applied to FTTR, where the master device is also referred to as MFU and the slave device as SFU. This energy-saving control method is applied to the slave device. Specifically, the slave device receives a first message sent by the master device. The slave device confirms the activation of energy-saving features based on the first message and acquires the energy-saving capability. The slave device sends a second message to the master device, the second message including the energy-saving capability.

[0022] In some possible implementations, after the sub-device receives the first message sent by the master device, the method further includes: the sub-device sending a third message to the master device, the third message being used to instruct the sub-device to confirm the activation of the energy-saving feature.

[0023] In some possible implementations, before the sub-device receives the first message sent by the master device, the method further includes: the sub-device receiving a fourth message sent by the master device, the fourth message including configuration parameters; and the sub-device performing energy-saving configuration based on the configuration parameters.

[0024] In some possible implementations, the configuration parameters include an energy-saving timer. After the sub-device receives the fourth message sent by the master device, the method further includes: if the energy-saving timer configured by the sub-device expires, the sub-device sends an alarm message to the master device.

[0025] In some possible implementations, the configuration parameters include at least one of flow parameters and temperature parameters. The flow parameters include a low flow threshold and a high flow threshold, and the temperature parameters include a low temperature threshold and a high temperature threshold. The low flow threshold and the high flow threshold are a first set of reference thresholds for switching the sub-device to energy-saving mode, and the low temperature threshold and the high temperature threshold are a second set of reference thresholds for switching the sub-device to energy-saving mode.

[0026] In some possible implementations, energy-saving capabilities include at least one of RUID, supported bandwidth, shutdown capability, shutdown transition time, low-power listening, low-power listening transition time, supported stream count, supported MCS, transmit power, and supported energy-saving templates.

[0027] In some possible implementations, the sub-device acquires energy-saving capabilities by: acquiring energy-saving statistics and determining energy-saving capabilities based on the energy-saving statistics.

[0028] In some possible implementations, the energy-saving statistics include at least one of the following: the number of STAs associated with the sub-device, the average traffic of the sub-device, the latency-sensitive identifier of the sub-device, the traffic-running service identifier of the sub-device, the average temperature of the sub-device, the uplink service cache data of the STAs associated with the sub-device, and the downlink service cache data of the STAs associated with the sub-device.

[0029] In some possible implementations, after the sub-device sends a second message to the master device, the method further includes: the sub-device receiving a fifth message sent by the master device; the sub-device confirming the power-saving feature is turned off based on the fifth message and ceasing to acquire power-saving capabilities; and the sub-device sending a sixth message to the master device, the sixth message being used to instruct the sub-device to confirm the power-saving feature is turned off.

[0030] In some possible implementations, the first message includes an energy-saving field, which is used to indicate that the sub-device has enabled energy-saving features. Furthermore, the first message may also include at least one of a time-domain scheduling field, a cooperative EDCA field, a roaming field, a spatial multiplexing field, a frequency-domain scheduling field, and a time synchronization field, wherein the time synchronization field may specifically be a Wi-Fi time synchronization field.

[0031] In some possible implementations, the first message may also include the protocol version supported by the master device and the protocol version supported by the sub-device.

[0032] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a master device, which is an MFU in an FTTR system. The master device includes a transceiver unit. The transceiver unit is configured to: send a first message to a first sub-device, the first message instructing the first sub-device to enable energy-saving features; and receive a second message sent by the first sub-device, the second message including the energy-saving capability of the first sub-device, the energy-saving capability being obtained by the first sub-device after confirming the enabling of energy-saving features based on the first message.

[0033] In some possible implementations, after the transceiver unit sends a first message to the first sub-device, the transceiver unit is also used to receive a third message sent by the first sub-device, the third message being used to instruct the first sub-device to confirm the activation of the energy-saving feature.

[0034] In some possible implementations, before the transceiver unit sends the first message to the first sub-device, the transceiver unit is also configured to send a fourth message to the first sub-device so that the first sub-device performs energy-saving configuration according to the configuration parameters in the fourth message.

[0035] In some possible implementations, the configuration parameters include an energy-saving timer. After the transceiver unit sends the fourth message to the first sub-device, if the energy-saving timer configured by the first sub-device times out, the transceiver unit is also used to receive an alarm message sent by the first sub-device.

[0036] In some possible implementations, the configuration parameters include at least one of flow parameters and temperature parameters. The flow parameters include a low flow threshold and a high flow threshold, and the temperature parameters include a low temperature threshold and a high temperature threshold. The low flow threshold and the high flow threshold are a first set of reference thresholds for the first sub-device to switch to energy-saving mode, and the low temperature threshold and the high temperature threshold are a second set of reference thresholds for the first sub-device to switch to energy-saving mode.

[0037] In some possible implementations, energy-saving capabilities include at least one of RUID, supported bandwidth, shutdown capability, shutdown transition time, low-power listening, low-power listening transition time, supported stream count, supported MCS, transmit power, and supported energy-saving templates.

[0038] In some possible implementations, the energy-saving capability is obtained by the first sub-device based on the acquired energy-saving statistics, which are obtained by the first sub-device after confirming the activation of the energy-saving feature based on the first message.

[0039] In some possible implementations, the energy-saving statistics include at least one of the following: the number of STAs associated with the first sub-device, the average traffic of the first sub-device, the latency-sensitive identifier of the first sub-device, the traffic-running service identifier of the first sub-device, the average temperature of the first sub-device, the uplink service cache data of the STAs associated with the first sub-device, and the downlink service cache data of the STAs associated with the first sub-device.

[0040] In some possible implementations, after the transceiver unit receives the second message sent by the first sub-device, the transceiver unit sends a fifth message to the first sub-device, which instructs the first sub-device to turn off the energy-saving feature; the master device receives a sixth message sent by the first sub-device, which instructs the first sub-device to confirm that the energy-saving feature is turned off.

[0041] In some possible implementations, the first message includes an energy-saving field, which indicates that the first sub-device should enable energy-saving features. Furthermore, the first message may also include at least one of a time-domain scheduling field, a cooperative EDCA field, a roaming field, a spatial multiplexing field, a frequency-domain scheduling field, and a time synchronization field, wherein the time synchronization field may specifically be a Wi-Fi time synchronization field.

[0042] In some possible implementations, the first message may also include the protocol version supported by the master device and the protocol version supported by the first sub-device.

[0043] In some possible implementations, the transceiver unit is further configured to: send a seventh message to the second sub-device, the seventh message being used to instruct the second sub-device to enable energy-saving features; and receive an eighth message sent by the second sub-device, the eighth message being used to instruct the second sub-device to confirm that energy-saving features are not enabled.

[0044] In some possible implementations, the eighth message is also used to instruct the second sub-device to confirm that the reason for not enabling the energy-saving feature is that the second sub-device has disabled the energy-saving feature.

[0045] In some possible implementations, the seventh message also includes the protocol version supported by the master device, and the eighth message is also used to indicate to the second sub-device that the reason for not enabling the energy-saving feature is that the second sub-device does not support the protocol version.

[0046] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide a sub-device, which is an SFU in an FTTR system. The sub-device includes a transceiver unit and a processing unit. The transceiver unit is used to receive a first message sent by a master device. The processing unit confirms the activation of energy-saving features based on the first message and obtains the energy-saving capability. The transceiver unit is used to send a second message to the master device, the second message including the energy-saving capability.

[0047] In some possible implementations, after receiving the first message sent by the master device, the transceiver unit sends a third message to the master device, which is used to instruct the sub-device to confirm the activation of the energy-saving feature.

[0048] In some possible implementations, before receiving the first message sent by the master device, the transceiver unit is also configured to receive a fourth message sent by the master device, the fourth message including configuration parameters. The processing unit is further configured to perform energy-saving configuration based on the configuration parameters.

[0049] In some possible implementations, the configuration parameters include an energy-saving timer. After the transceiver unit receives the fourth message sent by the master device, if the energy-saving timer configured by the sub-device expires, the transceiver unit is also used to send an alarm message to the master device.

[0050] In some possible implementations, the configuration parameters include at least one of flow parameters and temperature parameters. The flow parameters include a low flow threshold and a high flow threshold, and the temperature parameters include a low temperature threshold and a high temperature threshold. The low flow threshold and the high flow threshold are a first set of reference thresholds for switching the sub-device to energy-saving mode, and the low temperature threshold and the high temperature threshold are a second set of reference thresholds for switching the sub-device to energy-saving mode.

[0051] In some possible implementations, energy-saving capabilities include at least one of RUID, supported bandwidth, shutdown capability, shutdown transition time, low-power listening, low-power listening transition time, supported stream count, supported MCS, transmit power, and supported energy-saving templates.

[0052] In some possible implementations, the processing unit is specifically used to acquire energy-saving statistics and determine energy-saving capabilities based on the energy-saving statistics.

[0053] In some possible implementations, the energy-saving statistics include at least one of the following: the number of STAs associated with the sub-device, the average traffic of the sub-device, the latency-sensitive identifier of the sub-device, the traffic-running service identifier of the sub-device, the average temperature of the sub-device, the uplink service cache data of the STAs associated with the sub-device, and the downlink service cache data of the STAs associated with the sub-device.

[0054] In some possible implementations, after the transceiver unit sends the second message to the master device, it is also configured to receive a fifth message sent by the master device. The processing unit is further configured to confirm the power-saving feature is disabled based on the fifth message and stop acquiring power-saving capabilities. The transceiver unit is also configured to send a sixth message to the master device, which instructs the sub-device to confirm the power-saving feature is disabled.

[0055] In some possible implementations, the first message includes an energy-saving field, which is used to indicate that the sub-device has enabled energy-saving features. Furthermore, the first message may also include at least one of a time-domain scheduling field, a cooperative EDCA field, a roaming field, a spatial multiplexing field, a frequency-domain scheduling field, and a time synchronization field, wherein the time synchronization field may specifically be a Wi-Fi time synchronization field.

[0056] In some possible implementations, the first message may also include the protocol version supported by the master device and the protocol version supported by the sub-device.

[0057] Fifthly, embodiments of this application provide a master device that includes instructions that, when executed by the master device, cause the master device to perform the method described in any embodiment of the first aspect.

[0058] In a sixth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a sub-device that includes instructions that, when executed by the sub-device, cause the sub-device to perform the method described in any embodiment of the second aspect.

[0059] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of this application provide a master device, which includes a processor and an interface. The interface is used to transmit and receive signals, and the processor is used to execute the method described in any embodiment of the first aspect.

[0060] Eighthly, embodiments of this application provide a sub-device, which includes a processor and an interface. The interface is used to transmit and receive signals, and the processor is used to perform the method described in any embodiment of the second aspect.

[0061] In a ninth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication system comprising a master device as described in any embodiment of the third aspect, the fifth aspect, or the seventh aspect, and at least one sub-device as described in any embodiment of the fourth aspect, the sixth aspect, or the eighth aspect, wherein the master device communicates with at least one sub-device.

[0062] In a tenth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a chip for performing the methods described in any of the first or second aspects.

[0063] In one aspect, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the method described in any embodiment of the first or second aspect to be implemented.

[0064] In a twelfth aspect, this application provides a computer program product including program instructions that, when executed, implement the method described in any of the embodiments of the first or second aspect above.

[0065] In this embodiment, the master device sends a first message to the first sub-device, instructing the first sub-device to enable energy-saving features. The first sub-device can confirm enabling energy-saving features based on the first message and obtain its own energy-saving capabilities. Then, the first sub-device sends its own energy-saving capabilities to the master device via a second message. It should be understood that the first sub-device's confirmation of enabling energy-saving features indicates that the first sub-device supports switching to energy-saving mode, which is equivalent to supporting the master device's energy-saving scheduling. Through this method, since the master device can know whether each sub-device can enable energy-saving features and the energy-saving capabilities of sub-devices that can enable energy-saving features, the master device can perform reasonable energy-saving scheduling of multiple sub-devices based on the information obtained, thereby better optimizing energy-saving effects. Attached Figure Description

[0066] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a possible WLAN network architecture in an embodiment of this application;

[0067] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the FTTH / O system architecture;

[0068] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the FTTR system architecture;

[0069] Figure 4 is a flowchart of an energy-saving control method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0070] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the types of information collected by the sub-device in an embodiment of this application;

[0071] Figure 6 is another flowchart of the energy-saving control method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0072] Figure 7 is another flowchart of the energy-saving control method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0073] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a main device in an embodiment of this application;

[0074] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of another structure of the main device in an embodiment of this application;

[0075] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of a sub-device in an embodiment of this application;

[0076] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of another structure of the sub-device in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0077] This application provides an energy-saving control method, device, and system for FTTR. The master device can understand whether each sub-device can activate its energy-saving features, as well as the energy-saving capabilities of the sub-devices that can activate their energy-saving features. Based on the information obtained, the master device can perform reasonable energy-saving scheduling for multiple sub-devices, thereby better optimizing the energy-saving effect.

[0078] It should be understood that the terms "an embodiment," "an implementation," "an implementation method," or "an example" used throughout the specification mean that a specific feature, structure, or characteristic related to the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of this application. Therefore, the phrases "in an embodiment," "an implementation method," "an implementation method," or "an example" appearing throughout the specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, these specific features, structures, or characteristics can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. It should be understood that in the various embodiments of this application, the sequence numbers of the above processes do not imply a sequential order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0079] Furthermore, the terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably in this document. The term "and / or" in this document merely describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone. Additionally, the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship. It should be understood that in the embodiments of this application, "B corresponding to A" means that B is associated with A, and B can be determined based on A. However, it should also be understood that determining B based on A does not mean determining B solely based on A; B can also be determined based on A and / or other information. And, unless otherwise stated, the ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" mentioned in the embodiments of this application are used to distinguish multiple objects and are not used to limit the order, sequence, priority, or importance of multiple objects. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having" in the embodiments, claims, and drawings of this application are not exclusive. For example, a process, method, system, product, or device that includes a series of steps or modules is not limited to the listed steps or modules and may also include steps or modules not listed.

[0080] Referring to Figure 1, a possible WLAN network architecture is illustrated. The wireless local area network (WLAN) architecture includes a wireless controller (also referred to as a "control node" in this embodiment), wireless access points (also referred to as "network nodes" in this embodiment), and terminal devices. The wireless controller is used to configure services and radio frequency for the access points. The wireless access point (AP) is used to provide service access to associated STAs. Terminal devices, acting as STAs, can be associated with the access point.

[0081] Terminal devices can include mobile phones (or "cellular" phones), computers with mobile terminal devices, portable, pocket-sized, handheld, and computer-embedded mobile devices. Examples include personal communication service (PCS) phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and other devices. Terminal devices can also be computers, tablets, e-readers, and smart home devices such as smart TVs and smart speakers. As an example and not a limitation, in this embodiment, the terminal device can also be a wearable device. Wearable devices, also called wearable smart devices or smart wearable devices, are a general term for devices that utilize wearable technology to intelligently design and develop everyday wearables, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. Wearable devices are portable devices worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothing or accessories. Wearable devices are not merely hardware devices; they achieve powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Wearable smart devices in a broad sense include those that are feature-rich, large in size, and can perform all or part of their functions without relying on a smartphone, such as smartwatches or smart glasses, as well as those that focus on a specific type of application function and require the use of other devices such as smartphones, such as various smart bracelets, smart helmets, and smart jewelry for vital sign monitoring.

[0082] With the development of communication technology, fiber optic transmission is increasingly being used in communication systems, among which fiber to the room (FTTR) is a crucial component of optical networks. An FTTR system consists of a main device and sub-devices, connected via optical fiber. The main device, acting as an optical network terminal (ONT) or optical network unit (ONU) in a passive optical network (PON), is connected to the optical line terminal (OLT) at the operator's central office via optical fiber.

[0083] Figure 2 illustrates the system architecture of Fiber to the Home / Office (FTTH / O). It connects upstream network-side equipment (such as switches and routers) and downstream ONTs via an optical distribution network (ODN). The ODN includes passive optical splitters for optical power distribution, a trunk fiber connecting the passive splitters and the OLT, and branch fibers connecting the passive splitters and ONTs. When transmitting downlink signals, the downlink signal sent by the OLT is transmitted to each ONT through the splitter, and the ONT selectively receives downlink data belonging to itself from the downlink signal. When transmitting uplink signals, the uplink signals sent by N ONTs are combined into a single optical signal by the splitter and transmitted to the OLT.

[0084] Building upon FTTH / O, to address signal coverage issues (such as wireless LAN (WLAN) signals) in home or office networks, fiber optic cables can be extended further into the room. Optical terminal equipment providing WLAN signals is installed inside the room, thus reducing the distance between the user terminal and the wireless access point (AP) and improving signal quality. This technology is called Fiber to the Room (FTTR).

[0085] Figure 3 illustrates the system architecture of FTTR. In FTTH / O, the OLT is deployed in the central equipment room, while the ONT is deployed in homes or offices. The master device in the FTTR network acts as both the ONT in the FTTH network and the upstream device for the FTTR sub-devices, managing them. The sub-devices in FTTR can be deployed in various rooms of homes or offices to provide signal to user terminals. These sub-devices possess ONT functionality and can also function as wireless access points (APs).

[0086] Multiple sub-devices can be deployed in an FTTR system, each connected to the main device via an optical splitter. The main device can manage and configure all sub-devices centrally. The main device can also be called a "main gateway," "main optical modem," or "main FTTR unit (MFU)," while sub-devices can be called "slave gateways," "slave optical modems," or "slave FTTR units (SFU)," etc.

[0087] It should be noted that this application can be applied to point-to-multipoint (P2MP) communication systems, which specifically include a master device and multiple sub-devices. The master device can collaboratively manage multiple sub-devices. For example, in the FTTH / O scenario shown in Figure 5, the master device can be an OLT, and the sub-devices can be ONUs. As another example, in the FTTR scenario shown in Figure 6, the master device can be an MFU, and the sub-devices can be MFUs. In the energy-saving control method for FTTR provided in this application embodiment, the master device can understand whether each sub-device can activate energy-saving features, and the energy-saving capabilities of the sub-devices that can activate energy-saving features. The master device can then rationally schedule energy-saving operations for multiple sub-devices based on this information, thereby better optimizing energy-saving effects.

[0088] The energy-saving control method for FTTR provided in this application embodiment is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the embodiments of this application do not limit the number of sub-devices communicating with the master device. The following embodiments only use the interaction between the master device and two sub-devices as an example. The interaction method between more sub-devices and the master device is similar. These two sub-devices are referred to as sub-device 1 and sub-device 2, respectively.

[0089] Figure 4 is a flowchart of an energy-saving control method provided in an embodiment of this application. The specific flow of the energy-saving control method is described in detail below. It should be noted that the energy-saving interaction between the master device and the slave device may include multiple stages, such as an initialization stage, a synchronization stage, and a main energy-saving process stage. The initialization stage precedes the synchronization stage and the main energy-saving process stage. This embodiment mainly describes the interaction method between the master device and the slave device during the initialization stage. This allows the slave device to enable energy-saving features, configure energy saving, and the master device to acquire the energy-saving capabilities of the slave device, thus preparing for the subsequent synchronization stage and the main energy-saving process stage. For example, enabling energy-saving features on the slave device is necessary to support subsequent energy-saving scheduling by the master device; configuring energy saving on the slave device is necessary for better energy saving during the main energy-saving process stage; and acquiring the energy-saving capabilities of the slave device is necessary for the master device to formulate a more reasonable energy-saving scheduling plan. The specific methods of the synchronization stage and the main energy-saving process stage will not be elaborated upon in this application.

[0090] In the embodiment shown in Figure 4, the example is that sub-device 1 can enable energy-saving features while sub-device 2 cannot. In specific applications, whether each sub-device can enable energy-saving features depends on the actual scenario, and this application does not impose any limitations. The interaction process between the master device and sub-device 1 during the initialization phase is described below.

[0091] 101. The master device sends message 1-1 to the slave device 1.

[0092] Specifically, after the master device decides that the sub-device 1 needs to enable the energy-saving feature, the master device sends message 1-1 to the sub-device 1 to instruct the sub-device 1 to enable the energy-saving feature. It should be understood that "enabling the energy-saving feature" mentioned in this application embodiment means that if the sub-device 1 enables the energy-saving feature, it can support switching to the energy-saving state, and thus can obey the energy-saving scheduling of the master device in the main energy-saving process stage. It does not mean that the sub-device 1 has entered the energy-saving state simply because it enables the energy-saving feature.

[0093] In one possible implementation, after the master device decides that the sub-device 1 needs to enable the energy-saving feature, the master device actively sends message 1-1 to the sub-device 1. In another possible implementation, as shown in step 105, the sub-device 1 can first send message 1-4 to the master device to request the master device to issue an instruction to enable the energy-saving feature; that is, the sub-device 1 requests the master device to send message 1-1 by sending message 1-4 to the master device.

[0094] It should be noted that the master device sends message 1-1 via unicast, meaning the master device sends message 1-1 to the corresponding sub-device 1 as needed to instruct the sub-device 1 to enable energy-saving features. This message 1-1 may carry information such as the destination address of the sub-device 1 to ensure accurate transmission. It should be understood that this application does not limit the specific format of message 1-1; message 1-1 may include multiple fields. Table 1 below provides the fields that may be included in message 1-1, the length of each field, and its definition. As shown in Table 1, message 1-1 includes a time-domain scheduling field, an energy-saving field, an enhanced distribution channel access (EDCA) field, a roaming field, a spatial multiplexing field, a frequency-domain scheduling field, and a Wi-Fi time synchronization field. The energy-saving field in message 1-1 is used to instruct the sub-device 1 to enable energy-saving features. For example, a value of 1 in the energy-saving field of message 1-1 indicates that the sub-device 1 should enable energy-saving features.

[0095] In some possible implementations, message 1-1 may also include the protocol version supported by the master device. If the slave device 1 also supports the protocol version, the slave device 1 can confirm that the power-saving feature is enabled; if the slave device 1 does not support the protocol version, the slave device 1 confirms that the power-saving feature is not enabled.

[0096] It should be understood that this application does not limit the length of each field in message 1-1, nor does it limit the indication content corresponding to the value of each field in message 1-1. Similarly, it also applies to the format of other messages transmitted between the master device and the slave device. In other words, each table provided in the embodiments of this application is only a few possible examples, and those skilled in the art can make flexible changes based on it. For example, the byte length of each field in the table can be changed. For another example, the indication content corresponding to the value of each field can also be changed. Taking the energy-saving field in Table 1 as an example, the indication content corresponding to the value of 0 and 1 of the energy-saving field can be swapped; or, any value of 2 to 255 of the energy-saving field can be used to indicate the above content; or, the length of the energy-saving field can also be multiple bytes; or, the length of the energy-saving field can also be measured in bits. The length of the energy-saving field can be 1 bit or more bits. Taking the energy-saving field including 1 bit as an example, a bit value of 0 can indicate that it is not enabled, and a bit value of 1 can indicate that it is enabled; or, a bit value of 0 can indicate that it is enabled, and a bit value of 1 can indicate that it is not enabled.

[0097] Table 1

[0098] 102. Sub-device 1 obtains energy-saving statistics.

[0099] In this embodiment, sub-device 1 confirms the activation of energy-saving features according to message 1-1. Based on this, sub-device 1 needs to further obtain energy-saving statistics and determine its own energy-saving capability based on these statistics, thereby feeding back its energy-saving capability to the master device for subsequent energy-saving scheduling. In other words, if sub-device 1 confirms that it does not activate energy-saving features, it does not support switching to energy-saving mode, and therefore sub-device 1 does not need to obtain energy-saving statistics and determine its own energy-saving capability based on them.

[0100] It should be noted that energy-saving statistical information refers to information related to the energy-saving capability of sub-device 1. Sub-device 1 can collect information in real time, and the types of information collected by sub-device 1 are various. Sub-device 1 can filter out energy-saving statistical information from all the collected information. This application does not limit the specific types of information included in the energy-saving statistical information; some possible examples are provided below.

[0101] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the information types collected by the sub-device in this embodiment of the application. As shown in Figure 5, the information types collected by the sub-device may include the following major categories: station (STA) information on each basic service set identifier (BSSID), service traffic identification information on each frequency band / BSSID, STA association / deassociation status information reporting, received signal strength indication (RSSI) for other STAs, sub-device temperature information, Wi-Fi data buffer information, and sub-device Wi-Fi service status. Each of these major categories further includes several specific information types.

[0102] Taking Figure 5 as an example, the energy-saving statistics can specifically include at least one of the following: the number of STAs associated with sub-device 1, the average traffic of sub-device 1, the latency-sensitive identifier of sub-device 1, the traffic-running service identifier of sub-device 1, the average temperature of sub-device 1, the uplink service cache data of the STAs associated with sub-device 1, and the downlink service cache data of the STAs associated with sub-device 1. It should be understood that the energy-saving statistics listed here are all closely related to the energy-saving capabilities of sub-device 1, facilitating sub-device 1 to report its own energy-saving capabilities to the master device based on the energy-saving statistics, enabling the master device to formulate more reasonable energy-saving scheduling plans, thereby better optimizing energy-saving effects.

[0103] 103. Sub-device 1 sends message 1-2 to master device.

[0104] Specifically, message 1-2 sent by sub-device 1 to master device includes the energy-saving capability of sub-device 1. The energy-saving capability of sub-device 1 is determined based on acquired energy-saving statistical information. In one possible scenario, the energy-saving capability can be at least one of the aforementioned energy-saving statistical information; that is, the energy-saving capability belongs to the energy-saving statistical information. In another possible scenario, the energy-saving capability is capability information obtained by sub-device 1 through analysis or processing of the acquired energy-saving statistical information. This application does not limit the specific information included in the energy-saving capability, nor does it limit the specific format of message 1-2. Message 1-2 may include multiple fields. Table 2 below provides the fields that may be included in message 1-2, the length of each field, and its definition. As shown in Table 2, message 1-2 includes multiple fields, each representing multiple initialization information groups. The field corresponding to initialization information group 1 in Table 2 is used to represent the energy-saving capability. The field corresponding to initialization information group 1 also includes multiple subfields, each representing a specific energy-saving capability. Taking Table 2 as an example, energy-saving capabilities include at least one of the following: radio unique identifier (RUID), supported bandwidth, shutdown capability, shutdown transition time, low-power listening, low-power listening transition time, supported stream number, supported modulation and coding scheme (MCS), transmit power, and supported energy-saving templates.

[0105] Table 2

[0106] It should be understood that the energy-saving capabilities listed above provide a valid reference for the master device to formulate energy-saving scheduling schemes, thereby better optimizing energy-saving effects. For example, the master device learns from the "Shutdown Capability" subfield in message 1-2 that sub-device 1 supports shutting down signals in a certain frequency band, meaning sub-device 1 can stop transmitting and receiving signals in that frequency band. The master device can then instruct sub-device 1 to shut down that frequency band to achieve energy savings. As another example, the master device learns from the "Supported Number of Streams" subfield in message 1-2 that the sub-device supports a maximum number of streams. The master device can then instruct sub-device 1 to reduce the transmission and reception of some data streams to achieve energy savings. Furthermore, the master device learns from the "Transmit Power" subfield in message 1-2 that the sub-device supports a maximum transmit power. The master device can then instruct sub-device 1 to reduce its transmit power to achieve energy savings.

[0107] 104. Sub-device 1 sends messages 1-3 to the master device.

[0108] After receiving message 1-1 and confirming the activation of the energy-saving feature, sub-device 1 sends message 1-3 to the master device. Message 1-3 is used to instruct sub-device 1 to confirm the activation of the energy-saving feature. In other words, message 1-3 can be considered an acknowledgment (ACK) message for message 1-1. It should be understood that message 1-3 can use the same message format as message 1-1. Taking the message format shown in Table 1 above as an example, the energy-saving field in message 1-3 is used to instruct sub-device 1 to confirm the activation of the energy-saving feature. For example, a value of 1 in the energy-saving field of message 1-3 indicates that sub-device 1 has confirmed the activation of the energy-saving feature. When sub-device 1 sends message 1-3 to the master device to confirm the activation of the energy-saving feature, the energy-saving feature may or may not have been activated yet; that is, sub-device 1 can also activate the energy-saving feature after sending message 1-3.

[0109] It should be noted that step 104 does not have a clear temporal relationship with steps 102 and 103. For example, step 104 may be executed before step 102, or after step 103, or between steps 102 and 103, or simultaneously with step 102, or simultaneously with step 103.

[0110] The interaction flow between the master device and slave device 2 during the initialization phase will be described below. It should be noted that there is no explicit timing relationship between the interaction flows between the master device and slave device 1, and between the master device and slave device 2. For example, the interaction flow between the master device and slave device 1 can be executed first, or the interaction flow between the master device and slave device 2 can be executed first, or both can be executed simultaneously.

[0111] 106. The master device sends message 2-1 to the slave device 2.

[0112] Specifically, after the master device decides that the sub-device 2 needs to enable the energy-saving feature, the master device sends message 2-1 to the sub-device 2 to instruct the sub-device 2 to enable the energy-saving feature. For example, the master device can actively send message 2-1 to the sub-device 2; or, the sub-device 2 can first send a request to the master device to request the energy-saving feature to be enabled, and then the sub-device 2 receives message 2-1 sent by the master device according to the request, similar to step 105. It should be understood that the implementation of message 2-1 in step 106 is similar to the implementation of message 1-1 in step 101, and will not be elaborated here.

[0113] 107. Sub-device 2 sends message 2-2 to master device.

[0114] After receiving message 2-1 and confirming that the energy-saving feature is not enabled, sub-device 2 sends message 2-2 to the master device. Message 2-2 is used to instruct sub-device 2 to confirm that the energy-saving feature is not enabled. In other words, message 2-2 can be considered an ACK message for message 2-1. It should be understood that message 2-2 can use the same message format as message 2-1. Taking the message format shown in Table 1 above as an example, the energy-saving field in message 2-2 is used to instruct sub-device 2 to confirm that the energy-saving feature is not enabled. For example, a value of 0 in the energy-saving field of message 2-2 is used to instruct sub-device 2 to confirm that the energy-saving feature is not enabled.

[0115] In some possible scenarios, message 2-2 sent by sub-device 2 to master device may also include a reason why sub-device 2 confirms that it is not enabling the power-saving feature. For example, message 2-2 may also indicate that the reason sub-device 2 confirms that it is not enabling the power-saving feature is that it has been disabled. As another example, message 2-1 may also include the protocol version supported by master device, which sub-device 2 does not support; in this case, message 2-2 may also indicate that the reason sub-device 2 confirms that it is not enabling the power-saving feature is that it does not support that protocol version. It should be understood that the power-saving field in message 2-2 can be assigned different values ​​to indicate different reasons for confirming that the power-saving feature is not enabled; the specific definition is not limited here.

[0116] It should be noted that, based on the embodiment shown in Figure 4 above, in some possible scenarios, the master device can also send configuration parameters to the sub-device that needs to enable energy-saving features before instructing the sub-device to do so. This allows the sub-device to perform energy-saving configuration according to the configuration parameters, so as to better cooperate with the master device's energy-saving scheduling in the future. The relevant content of energy-saving configuration will be described in detail below.

[0117] Figure 6 is another flowchart of the energy-saving control method provided in the embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 6, the energy-saving control method provided in the embodiment of this application further includes the following steps.

[0118] 108. The master device sends messages 1-5 to the slave device 1.

[0119] Specifically, messages 1-5 sent by the master device to the slave device 1 carry configuration parameters, enabling the slave device 1 to perform energy-saving configuration based on these parameters. In one possible implementation, after the master device decides that the slave device 1 needs to enable energy-saving features, the master device actively sends messages 1-5 to the slave device 1. In another possible implementation, as shown in step 110, the slave device 1 can first send messages 1-6 to the master device to request the master device to issue configuration parameters; that is, the slave device 1 requests the master device to send messages 1-5 by sending messages 1-6 to the master device.

[0120] 109. Sub-equipment 1 shall be configured for energy conservation.

[0121] Sub-device 1 receives messages 1-5 from the master device to obtain configuration parameters issued by the master device. Then, sub-device 1 performs energy-saving configuration based on the configuration parameters. This is equivalent to sub-device 1 updating and maintaining the configuration parameters locally, so that sub-device 1 can cooperate with the master device's energy-saving scheduling in subsequent energy-saving main process stages based on the locally maintained configuration parameters. It should be understood that this application does not limit the specific type of configuration parameters; some possible examples are provided below.

[0122] Example 1: Configuration parameters include an energy-saving timer. This timer has a set duration and primarily provides a self-maintenance and feedback mechanism for sub-devices during the main energy-saving process. The energy-saving timer can also be called an energy-saving timer. For example, during the main energy-saving process, when sub-device 1 receives an energy-saving scheduling instruction from the master device, it switches to energy-saving mode and starts the energy-saving timer. If sub-device 1 has service transmission needs and does not receive a new energy-saving scheduling instruction from the master device within the set duration (i.e., the energy-saving timer times out), sub-device 1 can send an alarm message to the master device to prompt it to update the energy-saving scheduling policy. It should be understood that the unit of the energy-saving timer is usually milliseconds (ms), and the set duration is determined by actual needs and is not limited here.

[0123] Table 3 below provides an implementation method for carrying an energy-saving timer via messages 1-5. It can be seen that messages 1-5 include multiple fields, each configured with a timer related to its corresponding function. For example, one field in messages 1-5 is an energy-saving timer field, which is 2 bytes long. Different values ​​of the energy-saving timer field represent different timing durations. Additionally, the energy-saving timer field can also indicate that the energy-saving timer is not active. For example, a value of 0xFFFF indicates that the energy-saving timer is not active, meaning that sub-device 1 needs to configure the energy-saving timer. It should be understood that the embodiments of this application do not limit the length of the energy-saving timer field. For example, the length of the energy-saving timer field can be 1 byte or more than 2 bytes, or the length of the energy-saving timer field can be measured in bits, and the length of the energy-saving timer field can be 1 bit or more bits.

[0124] Table 3

[0125] Example 2: The configuration parameters include at least one of flow rate parameters and temperature parameters. The flow rate parameters include a low flow rate threshold and a high flow rate threshold, and the temperature parameters include a low temperature threshold and a high temperature threshold. It should be understood that the low flow rate threshold and the high flow rate threshold are the first set of reference thresholds for switching sub-device 1 to energy-saving mode, and the low temperature threshold and the high temperature threshold are the second set of reference thresholds for switching sub-device 1 to energy-saving mode. The first set of reference thresholds and the second set of reference thresholds can be configured separately or together; no specific limitation is made here.

[0126] In one possible scenario, regarding the low and high traffic thresholds, if the traffic that sub-device 1 currently needs to transmit is less than the low traffic threshold, it means that sub-device 1 currently needs to transmit less service data, and sub-device 1 can switch to power-saving mode. If the traffic that sub-device 1 currently needs to transmit is greater than the high traffic threshold, it means that sub-device 1 currently needs to transmit more service data, and sub-device 1 should switch to normal operating mode. In other words, assuming that the traffic that sub-device 1 currently needs to transmit is less than the low traffic threshold and it is in power-saving mode, as the traffic that sub-device 1 needs to transmit increases until it exceeds the high traffic threshold, sub-device 1 switches to normal operating mode. Conversely, assuming that the traffic that sub-device 1 currently needs to transmit is greater than the high traffic threshold and it is in normal operating mode, as the traffic that sub-device 1 needs to transmit decreases until it falls below the low traffic threshold, sub-device 1 switches to power-saving mode.

[0127] In another possible scenario, regarding the low and high temperature thresholds, if the current temperature of sub-device 1 is greater than the high temperature threshold, it indicates that the current power consumption of sub-device 1 is high, and sub-device 1 can switch to power-saving mode; if the current temperature of sub-device 1 is less than the low temperature threshold, it indicates that the current power consumption of sub-device 1 is low, and sub-device 1 should switch to normal operating mode. That is, assuming the current temperature of sub-device 1 is greater than the high temperature threshold and it is in power-saving mode, as the temperature of sub-device 1 decreases until it is less than the low temperature threshold, sub-device 1 switches to normal operating mode; assuming the current temperature of sub-device 1 is less than the low temperature threshold and it is in normal operating mode, as the temperature of sub-device 1 increases until it is greater than the high temperature threshold, sub-device 1 switches to power-saving mode.

[0128] Table 4 below provides an implementation method for carrying low flow threshold, high flow threshold, low temperature threshold, and high temperature threshold using messages 1-5. It can be seen that messages 1-5 include four fields, which respectively indicate the low flow threshold, high flow threshold, low temperature threshold, and high temperature threshold. The low flow threshold and high flow threshold fields are both 4 bytes long, with the unit being Kbps; the low temperature threshold and high temperature threshold fields are both 1 byte long, with the unit being degrees Celsius.

[0129] Table 4

[0130] It should be noted that the master device can send the aforementioned energy-saving timer, flow parameters, and temperature parameters to slave device 1 through a single message, or the master device can send the energy-saving timer, flow parameters, and temperature parameters to slave device 1 separately through different messages; the specific method is not limited here. Typically, the master device sends the energy-saving timer to slave device 1 through a single message, and sends the flow parameters and temperature parameters to slave device 1 through another message.

[0131] 111. The master device sends message 2-3 to the slave device 2.

[0132] Specifically, messages 2-3 sent by the master device to the slave device 2 carry configuration parameters, enabling the slave device 2 to perform energy-saving configurations based on these parameters. In one possible implementation, after the master device decides that the slave device 2 needs to enable energy-saving features, the master device actively sends messages 2-3 to the slave device 2. In another possible implementation, the slave device 2 can request the master device to issue configuration parameters, similar to step 110 described above, which will not be repeated here.

[0133] 112. Sub-equipment 2 shall be configured for energy saving.

[0134] Sub-device 2 receives configuration parameters from the master device via messages 2-3. Then, sub-device 2 performs energy-saving configuration based on these parameters. This is equivalent to sub-device 2 updating and maintaining the configuration parameters locally, so that sub-device 2 can cooperate with the master device's energy-saving scheduling in subsequent energy-saving main process stages based on the locally maintained configuration parameters. It should be understood that the specific method of energy-saving configuration by sub-device 2 is similar to that of energy-saving configuration by sub-device 1 in step 109 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0135] It should be noted that, based on the embodiment shown in Figure 4 above, in some possible scenarios, for sub-device 1 that has already confirmed the energy-saving feature is enabled, if the master device decides that sub-device 1 no longer needs to enable the energy-saving feature, the master device can subsequently send a message to sub-device 1 to instruct sub-device 1 to disable the energy-saving feature. This allows the master device to flexibly instruct the sub-device to enable or disable the energy-saving feature according to actual needs, thereby better adapting to actual application scenarios. The following section provides a detailed introduction to the relevant content regarding the master device instructing the sub-device to disable the energy-saving feature.

[0136] Figure 7 is another flowchart of the energy-saving control method provided in the embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 7, the energy-saving control method provided in the embodiment of this application further includes the following steps.

[0137] 113. The master device sends messages 1-7 to the slave device 1.

[0138] Specifically, after the master device decides that the sub-device 1 needs to disable its energy-saving feature, the master device sends messages 1-7 to the sub-device 1 to instruct the sub-device 1 to disable its energy-saving feature. It should be understood that "disabling energy-saving feature" in the embodiments of this application means that if the sub-device 1 disables its energy-saving feature, it cannot support switching to the energy-saving state, and therefore will no longer accept the master device's energy-saving scheduling during the main energy-saving process stage.

[0139] In one possible implementation, after the master device decides that the sub-device 1 needs to disable the energy-saving feature, the master device actively sends messages 1-7 to the sub-device 1. In another possible implementation, the sub-device 1 may first send a request to the master device to request the disabling of the energy-saving feature, and then the sub-device 1 receives messages 1-7 sent by the master device according to the request.

[0140] It should be noted that the implementation of messages 1-7 in step 113 is similar to that of messages 1-1 in step 101. Taking Table 1 as an example, the energy-saving field in messages 1-7 is used to instruct sub-device 1 to turn off the energy-saving feature. For example, when the value of the energy-saving field in messages 1-7 is 0, it is used to instruct sub-device 1 to turn off the energy-saving feature.

[0141] 114. Sub-device 1 stops acquiring energy-saving statistics.

[0142] In this embodiment, sub-device 1 confirms the power-saving feature is disabled according to messages 1-7. Based on this, sub-device 1 no longer needs to acquire power-saving statistics and report its power-saving capabilities back to the master device. In other words, after sub-device 1 confirms the power-saving feature is disabled according to messages 1-7, it stops acquiring power-saving statistics, thereby reducing unnecessary operations and helping to lower power consumption.

[0143] 115. Sub-device 1 sends messages 1-8 to the master device.

[0144] After receiving messages 1-7 confirming the power-saving feature is disabled, sub-device 1 sends messages 1-8 to the master device. Message 1-8 is used to instruct sub-device 1 to confirm the power-saving feature is disabled. In other words, messages 1-7 can be considered as an ACK message for message 1-8. It should be understood that messages 1-8 can use the same message format as messages 1-1. Taking the message format shown in Table 1 as an example, the power-saving field in message 1-8 is used to instruct sub-device 1 to confirm the power-saving feature is disabled. For example, a value of 0 in the power-saving field of message 1-8 indicates that sub-device 1 has confirmed the power-saving feature is disabled. When sub-device 1 sends messages 1-8 to the master device to confirm the power-saving feature is disabled, it may have already disabled the power-saving feature, or it may not have disabled it yet; that is, sub-device 1 can also disable the power-saving feature after sending messages 1-8.

[0145] It should be noted that there is no explicit temporal relationship between step 115 and step 114. For example, step 115 may be executed before step 114, or step 115 may be executed after step 114, or step 114 and step 115 may be executed simultaneously.

[0146] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a main device in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 8, the main device includes a processing unit 201 and a transceiver unit 202. Specifically, the transceiver unit 202 is used to perform message sending and receiving operations of the main device in the embodiments shown in Figures 3, 6, or 7. The processing unit 201 is used to perform other operations of the main device besides message sending and receiving in the embodiments shown in Figures 3, 6, or 7. For example, the processing unit 201 can perform operations such as decision-making and message generation.

[0147] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of another structure of the main device in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 9, the main device includes a processor 301 and an interface 302, which are interconnected via a line. It should be noted that the interface 302 is used to perform message sending and receiving operations of the main device in the embodiments shown in Figures 3, 6, or 7. The processor 301 is used to perform other operations of the main device in the embodiments shown in Figures 3, 6, or 7 besides message sending and receiving; for example, the processor 301 can perform operations such as decision-making and message generation. In some possible implementations, the processor 301 includes the aforementioned processing unit 201, and the interface 302 includes the aforementioned transceiver unit 202. Optionally, the main device may also include a memory 303, which is used to store program instructions and data.

[0148] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of a sub-device in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 10, the sub-device includes a processing unit 401 and a transceiver unit 402. Specifically, the transceiver unit 402 is used to perform message sending and receiving operations of the sub-device in the embodiments shown in Figures 3, 6, or 7. The processing unit 401 is used to perform other operations of the sub-device in the embodiments shown in Figures 3, 6, or 7 besides message sending and receiving.

[0149] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of another structure of the sub-device in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 11, the sub-device includes a processor 501 and an interface 502, which are interconnected via a line. It should be noted that the interface 502 is used to perform message sending and receiving operations of the sub-device in the embodiments shown in Figures 3, 6, or 7. The processor 501 is used to perform other operations of the sub-device in the embodiments shown in Figures 3, 6, or 7 besides message sending and receiving. In some possible implementations, the processor 501 includes the aforementioned processing unit 401, and the interface 502 includes the aforementioned transceiver unit 402. Optionally, the main device may further include a memory 503, wherein the memory 503 is used to store program instructions and data.

[0150] This application also provides a chip. The chip integrates circuitry for implementing the functions of the processor 301 or processor 501 described above, and one or more interfaces. As an example, the chip integrates a memory. As another example, when the chip does not integrate a memory, it can be connected to an external memory via the interface. The chip can perform the method steps of any one or more of the foregoing embodiments. Alternatively, the chip can implement the actions performed by the processing and transmission device in the foregoing embodiments based on program code stored in the memory.

[0151] As an example, the chip in the embodiments of this application can be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor, any conventional processor, or a processing circuit that implements a specific function.

[0152] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium including a program or instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the method performed as described in the above method embodiments to be implemented.

[0153] It should be understood that the processor mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be implemented in hardware or software. When implemented in hardware, the processor can be a logic circuit, integrated circuit, etc. When implemented in software, the processor can be a general-purpose processor that reads software code stored in memory. The memory can exist independently and be connected to the processor, or the memory can be integrated with the processor.

[0154] As an example, the processor in the embodiments of this application can be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor, any conventional processor, or a processing circuit that implements a specific function.

[0155] In embodiments of this application, the memory may be random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), registers, hard disks, portable hard disks, CD-ROMs, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to a processor, enabling the processor to read information from and write information to the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium may also be a component of the processor. The processor and storage medium may reside in an ASIC. Additionally, the ASIC may reside in a network device or a terminal device. Alternatively, the processor and storage medium may exist as discrete components in the network device or terminal device.

[0156] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented entirely or partially by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof.

[0157] When implemented in hardware, the methods provided in this application embodiment may be implemented without reading software code or instructions. For example, they may be implemented using a CPU, DSP, ASIC, FPGA, other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof.

[0158] When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. A computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions of the embodiments of this application are performed. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a terminal device, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions can be stored in or transmitted through a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access, or a data storage device such as a server that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; it can also be an optical medium, such as a Digital Versatile Disc (DVD); or it can be a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state disk (SSD).

[0159] Finally, it should be noted that the above are merely specific embodiments of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An energy-saving control method applied to fiber-to-the-room (FTTR), characterized in that, include: The master device sends a first message to the first sub-device, the first message being used to instruct the first sub-device to enable energy-saving features; The master device receives a second message sent by the first sub-device. The second message includes the energy-saving capability of the first sub-device, which is obtained by the first sub-device after confirming that the energy-saving feature is enabled based on the first message.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, After the master device sends the first message to the first slave device, the method further includes: The master device receives a third message sent by the first sub-device, the third message being used to instruct the first sub-device to confirm the activation of the energy-saving feature.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, Before the master device sends the first message to the first slave device, the method further includes: The master device sends a fourth message to the first sub-device, so that the first sub-device performs energy-saving configuration according to the configuration parameters in the fourth message.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The configuration parameters include an energy-saving timer. After the master device sends a fourth message to the first sub-device, the method further includes: If the energy-saving timer configured in the first sub-device times out, the master device receives an alarm message sent by the first sub-device.

5. The method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, The configuration parameters include at least one of flow parameters and temperature parameters. The flow parameters include a low flow threshold and a high flow threshold. The temperature parameters include a low temperature threshold and a high temperature threshold. The low flow threshold and the high flow threshold are a first set of reference thresholds for the first sub-device to switch to energy-saving mode. The low temperature threshold and the high temperature threshold are a second set of reference thresholds for the first sub-device to switch to energy-saving mode.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The energy-saving capability includes at least one of the following: Wireless Unique Identifier (RUID), supported bandwidth, shutdown capability, shutdown transition time, low-power listening, low-power listening transition time, supported stream number, supported modulation and coding scheme (MCS), transmit power, and supported energy-saving template.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The energy-saving capability is obtained by the first sub-device based on the acquired energy-saving statistics, which are obtained by the first sub-device after confirming the activation of the energy-saving feature based on the first message.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The energy-saving statistics include at least one of the following: the number of STAs associated with the first sub-device, the average traffic of the first sub-device, the latency-sensitive identifier of the first sub-device, the traffic-running service identifier of the first sub-device, the average temperature of the first sub-device, the uplink service cache data of the STAs associated with the first sub-device, and the downlink service cache data of the STAs associated with the first sub-device.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, After the master device receives the second message sent by the first sub-device, the method further includes: The master device sends a fifth message to the first sub-device, the fifth message being used to instruct the first sub-device to turn off the energy-saving feature; The master device receives a sixth message sent by the first sub-device, the sixth message being used to instruct the first sub-device to confirm the power-saving feature being turned off.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The first message includes an energy-saving field, which is used to indicate that the first sub-device enables energy-saving features. The first message also includes at least one of the following: a time-domain scheduling field, a cooperative enhanced distributed channel access (EDCA) field, a roaming field, a spatial multiplexing field, a frequency-domain scheduling field, and a time synchronization field.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that, The first message also includes the protocol version supported by the master device, and the first sub-device supports the protocol version.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that, The method further includes: The master device sends a seventh message to the second sub-device, the seventh message being used to instruct the second sub-device to enable energy-saving features; The master device receives an eighth message sent by the second sub-device, the eighth message being used to instruct the second sub-device to confirm that the energy-saving feature is not enabled.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The eighth message is also used to instruct the second sub-device to confirm that the reason for not enabling the energy-saving feature is that the second sub-device has disabled the energy-saving feature.

14. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The seventh message also includes the protocol version supported by the master device, and the eighth message is used to indicate to the second sub-device that the reason for not enabling the energy-saving feature is that the second sub-device does not support the protocol version.

15. An energy-saving control method applied to fiber-to-the-room (FTTR), characterized in that, include: The sub-device receives the first message sent by the master device; The sub-device confirms the activation of energy-saving features based on the first message and obtains energy-saving capabilities; The sub-device sends a second message to the master device, the second message including the energy-saving capability.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, After the sub-device receives the first message sent by the master device, the method further includes: The sub-device sends a third message to the master device, the third message being used to instruct the sub-device to confirm the activation of the energy-saving feature.

17. The method according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that, Before the sub-device receives the first message sent by the master device, the method further includes: The sub-device receives a fourth message sent by the master device, the fourth message including configuration parameters; The sub-device performs energy-saving configuration according to the configuration parameters.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that, The configuration parameters include an energy-saving timer. After the sub-device receives the fourth message sent by the master device, the method further includes: If the energy-saving timer configured in the sub-device expires, the sub-device sends an alarm message to the master device.

19. The method according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that, The configuration parameters include at least one of flow parameters and temperature parameters. The flow parameters include a low flow threshold and a high flow threshold. The temperature parameters include a low temperature threshold and a high temperature threshold. The low flow threshold and the high flow threshold are a first set of reference thresholds for the sub-device to switch to energy-saving mode. The low temperature threshold and the high temperature threshold are a second set of reference thresholds for the sub-device to switch to energy-saving mode.

20. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 19, characterized in that, The energy-saving capability includes at least one of the following: Wireless Unique Identifier (RUID), supported bandwidth, shutdown capability, shutdown transition time, low-power listening, low-power listening transition time, supported stream number, supported modulation and coding scheme (MCS), transmit power, and supported energy-saving template.

21. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 20, characterized in that, The energy-saving capabilities acquired by the sub-device include: The sub-device acquires energy-saving statistics and determines the energy-saving capability based on the energy-saving statistics.

22. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that, The energy-saving statistics include at least one of the following: the number of STAs associated with the sub-device, the average traffic of the sub-device, the latency-sensitive identifier of the sub-device, the traffic-running service identifier of the sub-device, the average temperature of the sub-device, the uplink service cache data of the STAs associated with the sub-device, and the downlink service cache data of the STAs associated with the sub-device.

23. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 22, characterized in that, After the sub-device sends the second message to the master device, the method further includes: The sub-device receives the fifth message sent by the master device; The sub-device confirms the power-saving feature is turned off according to the fifth message and stops acquiring the power-saving capability; The sub-device sends a sixth message to the master device, the sixth message being used to instruct the sub-device to confirm the power-saving feature being turned off.

24. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 23, characterized in that, The first message includes an energy-saving field, which is used to indicate that the sub-device enables energy-saving features. The first message also includes at least one of the following: a time-domain scheduling field, a cooperative enhanced distributed channel access (EDCA) field, a roaming field, a spatial multiplexing field, a frequency-domain scheduling field, and a time synchronization field.

25. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 24, characterized in that, The first message also includes the protocol version supported by the master device, and the protocol version supported by the sub-device.

26. A main device, characterized in that, include: Transceiver unit; The transceiver unit is configured to: send a first message to a first sub-device, the first message being used to instruct the first sub-device to enable energy-saving features; The device receives a second message sent by the first sub-device. The second message includes the energy-saving capability of the first sub-device, which is obtained by the first sub-device after confirming that the energy-saving feature is enabled based on the first message.

27. A sub-device, characterized in that, include: Processing unit and transceiver unit; The transceiver unit is used to: receive a first message sent by the master device; The processing unit is used to: confirm the activation of energy-saving features based on the first message, and obtain energy-saving capabilities; The transceiver unit is used to send a second message to the master device, the second message including the energy-saving capability.

28. A main device, characterized in that, The master device includes instructions that, when executed by the master device, cause the master device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 14.

29. A sub-device, characterized in that, The sub-device includes instructions that, when executed by the sub-device, cause the sub-device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 15 to 25.

30. A communication system, characterized in that, It includes a master device as described in claim 26 or 28 and at least one sub-device as described in claim 27 or 29, wherein the master device communicates with the at least one sub-device.

31. A chip, characterized in that, The chip is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 25.

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