JP2012169761A - Network relay device and control method for network relay device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide technique for controlling power consumption of a network relay device without requiring an additional device.SOLUTION: A network relay device comprises: a communication unit capable of realizing communication at a plurality of different data transfer rates; an electric power calculation unit for calculating first power consumption which is electric power currently consumed by the network relay device; a set information acquisition unit for acquiring set information concerning magnitude of power consumption of the network relay device; a storage unit for storing correlation of the plurality of different data transfer rates and respective pieces of power consumption caused when realizing respective data transfer rates; and an electric power control unit for determining the data transfer rate for the communication unit by using the first power consumption, the set information and the correlation to instruct the communication unit to perform communication at the determined data transfer rate.

Description

  The present invention relates to a network relay device, and more particularly to a technique for controlling power consumed in a network relay device.

  With the progress of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) technology, the performance of network relay devices (for example, LAN switches and routers) has been dramatically improved, and the power consumption thereof has been rapidly increasing. On the other hand, in recent years, from the viewpoint of environmental protection, there is an increasing demand for reducing power consumption for network relay devices. Conventionally, a power supply management server provided in a network outputs a command for instructing start / stop / restart of power supply to a network relay device as a means for responding to such a request for power consumption reduction. Therefore, a technique for controlling the power consumption of the network relay device is known (for example, Patent Document 1).

  However, the conventional technology has a problem that an additional device (power supply management server) other than the network relay device is required.

JP 2007-281628 A JP 2007-201559 A

  An object of the present invention is to provide a technique for controlling power consumption of a network relay device without requiring an additional device.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to solve at least a part of the problems described above, and the invention can be implemented as the following forms or application examples.

[Application Example 1]
A network relay device,
A communication unit capable of realizing communication at different data transfer rates;
A power calculator that calculates a first power consumption that is currently consumed by the network relay device;
A setting information acquisition unit that acquires setting information related to the amount of power consumption of the network relay device;
A storage unit for storing a correspondence relationship between the plurality of data transfer rates and power consumption when the data transfer rates are realized;
A power control unit that determines a data transfer rate in the communication unit using the first power consumption, the setting information, and the correspondence relationship, and instructs the communication unit to communicate at the determined data transfer rate When,
A network relay device comprising:
With such a configuration, the power control unit realizes the first power consumption that is the current power consumed by the network relay device, the setting information regarding the power consumption of the network relay device, and the communication unit. The data transfer rate in the communication unit is determined using a plurality of different possible data transfer rates and the correspondence relationship between the power consumption when the data transfer rates are realized. Since the change in the data transfer rate of the network relay device affects the power consumption of the network relay device, as a result, the power consumption of the network relay device can be controlled without requiring an additional device.

[Application Example 2]
A network relay device described in Application Example 1,
The power control unit
Comparing the second power consumption directly or indirectly derived from the setting information with the first power consumption;
When the second power consumption is larger than the first power consumption, the data transfer rate in the communication unit is increased using the correspondence relationship,
When the second power consumption is smaller than the first power consumption, the network relay device reduces the data transfer rate in the communication unit using the correspondence relationship.
With this configuration, the power control unit increases the data transfer rate in the communication unit using the correspondence when the second power consumption derived from the setting information is larger than the first power consumption. The power consumption of the network relay device can be increased. In addition, when the second power consumption is smaller than the first power consumption, the power control unit reduces the power consumption of the network relay device in order to reduce the data transfer rate in the communication unit using the correspondence relationship. Can do. As a result, the power consumption of the network relay device can be controlled without requiring an additional device.

[Application Example 3]
A network relay device described in Application Example 1,
The communication unit can realize communication at different data transfer rates for different communication methods,
The storage unit stores the correspondence relationship for each of the plurality of communication methods,
The power control unit
Comparing the second power consumption directly or indirectly derived from the setting information with the first power consumption;
When the second power consumption is larger than the first power consumption, for a specific communication method selected from the plurality of communication methods using a plurality of the correspondence relationships and according to a predetermined condition, Increase the data transfer rate in the communication unit,
When the second power consumption is smaller than the first power consumption, for a specific communication method selected from the plurality of communication methods using a plurality of the correspondence relationships and according to a predetermined condition, A network relay device that reduces a data transfer rate in the communication unit.
With this configuration, the network relay device stores a plurality of correspondence relationships for each of a plurality of different communication methods that can be realized by the network relay device, and the power control unit uses the plurality of correspondence relationships, and The data transfer rate in the communication unit is increased or decreased for a specific communication method selected from a plurality of communication methods according to a predetermined condition. As a result, even in a network relay device capable of realizing a plurality of different communication methods, the same effect as in Application Example 2 can be obtained.

[Application Example 4]
A network relay device described in Application Example 3,
The predetermined condition includes a condition using a predetermined priority order among the plurality of communication methods and a condition using a speed difference between data transfer rates currently used in each of the plurality of communication methods. And a network relay device.
With such a configuration, one of the priority order determined in advance between a plurality of communication methods and the difference in data transfer rates currently used in each of the plurality of communication methods is transferred to the data. It can be a condition for determining the speed.

[Application Example 5]
A network relay device described in Application Example 3,
The correspondence relationship is associated with the plurality of data transfer rates, and further includes an index value indicating a usage rate of the data transfer rates,
The network relay device further includes:
A learning unit that monitors the communication unit and updates the index value;
The network relay device, wherein the predetermined condition is a condition using the index value.
With such a configuration, since the correspondence relationship includes an index value indicating the usage rate of the data transfer rate in the communication unit, this index value can be used as a condition for determining the data transfer rate.

[Application Example 6]
The network relay device according to any one of Application Examples 1 to 5,
The setting information acquisition unit is a network relay device including a changeover switch provided in a housing of the network relay device.
With such a configuration, since the setting information acquisition unit includes the changeover switch provided in the housing of the network relay device, the user of the network relay device can input the setting information by a simple method.

[Application Example 7]
The network relay device according to any one of Application Examples 1 to 6,
The communication unit includes at least one of a wireless communication unit that realizes wireless communication, a wired communication unit that realizes wired communication, and a USB data communication unit that realizes communication in a universal serial bus (USB) connection. A network relay device including any one of them.
With such a configuration, the communication unit includes at least one of a wireless communication unit, a wired communication unit, and a USB data communication unit, and thus various communication supported by the network relay device. The data transfer rate in the system can be controlled.

  Note that the present invention can be realized in various modes. For example, the present invention relates to a network relay device, a control method of the network relay device, a network system using the network relay device, a computer program for realizing the functions of the method or device, and a storage storing the computer program It can be realized in the form of a medium or the like.

It is explanatory drawing which shows schematic structure of the network relay apparatus as one Example of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows schematic structure of the external appearance of a router. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of a setting table. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of a wired LAN power consumption table. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of a wireless LAN power consumption table. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of a USB power consumption table. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the power control process performed in the power control part of a router. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating an example of the method by which a power control part raises the data transfer speed of a router. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the other example of the method by which a power control part raises the data transfer rate of a router. It is explanatory drawing which shows schematic structure of the network relay apparatus in 2nd Example. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the wired LAN power consumption table in 2nd Example. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the method by which a power control part raises the data transfer speed of a router in 2nd Example.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in the following order based on examples.

A. First embodiment:
A1. System outline:
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a network relay device as an embodiment of the present invention. The network relay device 10 is a so-called wireless LAN broadband router that conforms to the IEEE 802.3 standard and the IEEE 802.11 standard. Hereinafter, the network relay device 10 is also simply referred to as “router 10”. The router 10 is connected to the Internet INET by wire and connected to a terminal such as a personal computer (not shown) wirelessly. For the sake of convenience, FIG. 1 omits illustration of other network relay devices, lines, and internal structures of the router 10 that are not necessary for the description. This also applies to the drawings described later.

  The router 10 includes a power input unit 100, a CPU 200, a RAM 300, a setting information acquisition unit 400, a wired LAN interface (I / F) 500, a wireless LAN control circuit 600, and a USB interface (I / F) 700. ROM 800, each of which is interconnected by a bus. By providing three communication units (a wired LAN interface 500 as a wired communication unit, a wireless LAN control circuit 600 as a wireless communication unit, and a USB interface 700 as a USB data communication unit), the router 10 performs communication in three communication methods. Is feasible.

  The power input unit 100 further includes a power plug 110, an AC adapter 120, and a power calculation unit 130. The power plug 110 receives supply of power to the router 10 by being connected to a commercial power outlet (not shown). The AC adapter 120 converts the supplied AC power into DC power and steps down the voltage to a predetermined voltage. The power input unit 100 supplies the power output from the AC adapter 120 to each unit of the router 10. The power calculation unit 130 has a function of calculating the current power consumption of the router 10 (hereinafter also referred to as “first power consumption”). Specifically, the power calculation unit 130 measures the current value output from the AC adapter 120, and multiplies the measured current value by the voltage value stepped down by the AC adapter 120 to obtain the first value. Calculate power consumption.

  The CPU 200 controls each unit of the router 10 by developing a computer program stored in the ROM 800 in the RAM 300 and executing it. The CPU 200 also functions as the power control unit 210. The power control unit 210 determines the data transfer rate of the router 10 and instructs the communication unit to communicate at the determined data transfer rate, thereby performing power control processing (details will be described later) for controlling the power consumption of the router 10. Has the function to execute.

  The RAM 300 serving as a storage unit includes a setting table 310, a wired LAN power consumption table 320, a wireless LAN power consumption table 330, and a USB power consumption table 340. Details of these tables will be described later. Each of these tables may be stored in another storage medium (for example, a flash ROM, a hard disk, etc.).

  The setting information acquisition unit 400 has a function of acquiring setting information regarding the magnitude of power consumption of the router 10. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of the external appearance of the router 10. The setting information acquisition unit 400 of FIG. 1 further includes a changeover switch 410 as shown in FIG. The changeover switch 410 is a slide type switch provided in the chassis SC of the router 10. The changeover switch 410 switches its output by detecting the position of the knob CD moved by the user. The setting information acquisition unit 400 in FIG. 1 detects the output of the changeover switch 410 and acquires setting information regarding the power consumption of the router 10. Specifically, when the setting information acquisition unit 400 detects that the changeover switch 410 is in the “large” position in FIG. 2, the setting information acquisition unit 400 detects that the setting information is in the “large” and “medium” positions. If it is detected that the setting information is in the position of “medium” and “small”, the setting information is set to “small” and the setting information is acquired.

  A wired LAN interface 500 as a wired communication unit is an interface for connecting to a terminal via a wire in addition to being connected to a line on the Internet INET side. The wired LAN interface 500 includes a wired LAN control unit 510 and a plurality of ports 520. The wired LAN control unit 510 includes a PHY chip (physical chip) and a MAC chip (not shown), and has a function of adjusting a waveform of a signal received from the port 520 and extracting a MAC frame from the received signal. The wired LAN control unit 510 has an auto negotiation function. The auto-negotiation function refers to the Ethernet standard to be used with a communication partner device when different Ethernet standards (for example, 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, etc.) are mixed in Ethernet (registered trademark). It is a function to decide.

  A wireless LAN control circuit 600 as a wireless communication unit includes a wireless LAN control unit 610 and an antenna 620. The wireless LAN control unit 610 includes a transmission / reception circuit (not shown), and has a function of demodulating a radio wave received via the antenna 620 and generating data, and generating and modulating a radio wave transmitted via the antenna 620.

  A USB interface 700 as a USB data communication unit includes a USB control unit 710, a USB 1.1 function unit 721, a USB 2.0 function unit 722, and a USB 3.0 function unit 723. The USB control unit 710 has a function of switching a functional unit to be made active among these three functional units. The USB 1.1 function unit 721 is a function unit for enabling communication compliant with the USB 1.1 standard. Similarly, the USB 2.0 function unit 722 is a function unit that enables communication conforming to the USB 2.0 standard, and the USB 3.0 function unit 723 is a function unit that enables communication conforming to the USB 3.0 standard. As described above, the communication units in the present embodiment are configured to be able to realize communication at a plurality of different data transfer rates.

A2. Table configuration:
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of the setting table 310. The setting table 310 is a table for storing setting information and an upper limit value of power consumption as second power consumption in association with each other in advance. The setting table 310 includes a setting information field and a power consumption upper limit field. The setting information field stores values of setting information that can be acquired by the setting information acquisition unit 400 (FIG. 1). In the power consumption upper limit field, the upper limit value (W) of the power consumption of the router 10 corresponding to the setting information stored in the setting information field is stored. That is, in the example of FIG. 3, the entry in the first row indicates that the upper limit value of the power consumption of the router 10 is 8 W when the setting information is “large”.

  FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the wired LAN power consumption table 320. The wired LAN power consumption table 320 is a table for storing in advance a correspondence relationship between a data transfer speed and power consumption in a wired LAN, which is one of the communication methods that can be realized by the router 10. The wired LAN power consumption table 320 includes a data transfer rate field and a power consumption field. The data transfer rate field stores Ethernet standards that can be realized by the wired LAN interface 500 (FIG. 1), that is, information that indirectly indicates the data transfer rate in the wired LAN. The power consumption field stores the power consumption (W) of the router 10 when the router 10 performs communication using the Ethernet standard stored in the data transfer rate field. That is, in the example of FIG. 4, the entry in the first row indicates that the power consumption of the router 10 is 0.15 W when the router 10 relays the packet using the transmission capability of 10BASE-T. Yes.

  FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the wireless LAN power consumption table 330. The wireless LAN power consumption table 330 is a table for storing in advance a correspondence relationship between a data transfer rate and power consumption in a wireless LAN that is one of the communication methods that the router 10 can realize. The wireless LAN power consumption table 330 includes a data transfer rate field and a power consumption field. The data transfer speed field stores a wireless communication speed that can be realized by the wireless LAN control circuit 600 (FIG. 1). The power consumption field stores the power consumption (W) of the router 10 when the router 10 realizes wireless communication at the speed stored in the data transfer speed field. That is, in the example of FIG. 5, the entry in the first row indicates that when the router 10 relays a packet by wireless communication at 11 Mbps, the power consumption of the router 10 is 0.2 W.

  FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the USB power consumption table 340. The USB power consumption table 340 is a table for storing in advance the correspondence relationship between the data transfer speed and the power consumption in USB data communication, which is one of the communication methods that can be realized by the router 10. The USB power consumption table 340 includes a data transfer speed field and a power consumption field. The data transfer speed field stores information that indirectly indicates the USB standard that can be realized by the USB interface 700 (FIG. 1), that is, the communication speed in USB data communication. In the power consumption field, the power consumption (W) of the router 10 when the USB data communication is performed using the USB standard stored in the data transfer speed field in the router 10 is stored. That is, in the example of FIG. 6, when the USB data communication is performed by the router 10 using the USB 1.1 function unit 721 compliant with the USB 1.1 standard in the router 10, the power consumption of the router 10 is 0. It shows that it becomes 5W.

A3. Power control processing:
FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of power control processing executed in the power control unit 210 of the router 10. For example, the power control unit 210 can periodically execute a power control process at a predetermined time interval.

  First, the power control unit 210 acquires the current power consumption (first power consumption) of the router 10 calculated by the power calculation unit 130 (step S100). Next, the power control unit 210 acquires setting information regarding the magnitude of power consumption of the router 10 acquired by the setting information acquisition unit 400 (step S102). The power control unit 210 derives the upper limit value of power consumption (second power consumption) from the setting information acquired in step S102 (step S104). Specifically, the power control unit 210 searches the setting information field of the setting table 310 using the setting information as a key, and sets the value of the power consumption upper limit field of the matching entry as the upper limit value of power consumption (second power consumption). ). Then, the power control unit 210 compares the upper limit value (A) of the power consumption obtained in step S104 with the current power consumption (B) of the router 10 acquired in step S100 (step S106).

  When the upper limit value (A) of the power consumption is the same as the current power consumption (B) (step S106: A = B), the power control unit 210 ends the process.

  When the upper limit value (A) of power consumption is larger than the current power consumption (B) (step S106: A> B), the power control unit 210 includes a wired LAN power consumption table 320, a wireless LAN power consumption table 330, The USB power consumption table 340 is referred to (step S108). Then, the power control unit 210 increases the data transfer rate of the router 10 (that is, increases the speed of the router 10) based on the value of the power consumption field of each table referenced in step S108 (step S110).

  Increasing the data transfer speed of the router 10 means increasing the communication speed in at least one of communication methods (wired communication, wireless communication, USB data communication) that the router 10 can realize. To do. The power control unit 210 can increase the data transfer rate of the router 10 by various methods. For example, the power control unit 210 can increase the data transfer rate of the router 10 according to a predetermined condition.

  FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of a method by which the power control unit 210 increases the data transfer rate of the router 10. FIG. 8A shows the Ethernet standard currently used in the wired LAN interface 500 with an arrow on the wired LAN power consumption table 320. FIG. 8B shows the current wireless communication speed in the wireless LAN control circuit 600 with an arrow on the wireless LAN power consumption table 330. FIG. 8C shows the USB standard currently used in the USB interface 700 with an arrow on the USB power consumption table 340. FIG. 8D shows an example of conditions and priorities for increasing the data transfer rate. In the example of FIG. 8D, the priority order determined among a plurality of communication methods that can be realized by the router 10 is used as a condition for increasing the data transfer rate. The conditions for increasing the data transfer rate and the priority order are determined in advance and stored in the RAM 300.

  When the router 10 is in the state shown in FIG. 8 and the upper limit value of the power consumption obtained in step S104 in FIG. 6 is 8 W and the current power consumption of the router 10 obtained in step S100 is 4.1 W, the power The controller 210 can increase the data transfer rate of the router 10 in the following procedure.

Procedure 1) The power control unit 210 obtains a communication method with the highest priority based on the priority among a plurality of communication methods in accordance with the condition of FIG. In the example of FIG. 8, the communication method with the highest priority is wired communication (priority 1).
Procedure 2) The power control unit 210 refers to the power consumption table corresponding to the communication method obtained in the procedure 1, and obtains the power consumption at a data transfer rate one step higher than the current data transfer rate. In the example of FIG. 8, the power control unit 210 acquires the value (2.25 W) of the power consumption field of the Ethernet standard (1000BASE-T) that is one step faster than the currently used Ethernet standard (100BASE-T). To do.

Procedure 3) The power control unit 210 determines whether or not the total obtained by adding the power consumption obtained in the procedure 2 to the current power consumption exceeds the upper limit value of the power consumption. In the example of FIG. 8, since the current power consumption (4.1 W) + the power consumption (2.25 W) acquired in procedure 2 = 6.35 W, the upper limit value (8 W) of the power consumption does not exceed.
Step 4) If the power control unit 210 determines that the upper limit value of power consumption is not exceeded, the power control unit 210 determines to change the data transfer rate in the communication method to one step higher, and then has the next highest priority. The communication method is obtained, and the procedure 2 and subsequent steps are repeatedly executed. In the example of FIG. 8, the power control unit 210 changes the data transfer rate in wired communication to one higher in speed (that is, 1000BASE-T).
Procedure 5) On the other hand, if the power control unit 210 determines that the upper limit value of power consumption is exceeded, the power control unit 210 obtains a communication method with the next highest priority and repeatedly executes the procedure 2 and subsequent steps.

  When the determination to change the data transfer rate of wired communication is made in the procedure 4 above, the power control unit 210 transmits a request for changing the data transfer rate to the wired LAN control unit 510. The wired LAN control unit 510 that has received the request negotiates with the device that is the communication partner using the auto-negotiation function, and changes the Ethernet standard to be used. In addition, in order to suppress communication disconnection in wired communication, the Ethernet standard is changed by monitoring the transport layer and determining that communication is interrupted (for example, monitoring a TCP session and transmitting a communication end message). It is preferable to carry out after

  When changing the data transfer rate of wireless communication, the power control unit 210 transmits a request for changing the data transfer rate to the wireless LAN control unit 610. The wireless LAN control unit 610 that has received the request controls the transmission / reception circuit according to the received data transfer rate. When changing the data transfer rate of USB data communication, the power control unit 210 transmits a request for changing the data transfer rate to the USB control unit 710. The USB control unit 710 that has received the request switches the functional unit to be activated according to the received data transfer rate.

  FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram for explaining another example of a method by which the power control unit 210 increases the data transfer rate of the router 10. 9A to 9C are the same as FIG. FIG. 9D shows an example of conditions for increasing the data transfer rate. In the example of FIG. 9D, as a condition for increasing the data transfer speed, the difference in speed difference between a plurality of communication methods that can be realized by the router 10 is suppressed, that is, currently used in each of the plurality of communication methods. It is stipulated that the difference in data transfer rate is reduced. The conditions for increasing the data transfer rate are predetermined and stored in the RAM 300, as in FIG.

  When the router 10 is in the state shown in FIG. 9 and the upper limit value of the power consumption obtained in step S104 in FIG. 6 is 8 W and the current power consumption of the router 10 obtained in step S100 is 4.1 W, the power In the method for increasing the data transfer rate described with reference to FIG. 8, the control unit 210 executes step 1 a instead of step 1, step 4 a instead of step 4, and step 5 a instead of step 5.

  Procedure 1a) The power control unit 210 obtains a communication method that can suppress the difference in speed difference between communication methods in accordance with the condition of FIG. Specifically, first, the power control unit 210 obtains a data transfer rate currently used in each of a plurality of communication methods that can be realized by the router 10. In the example of FIG. 9, since the Ethernet standard currently used in the wired LAN interface 500 is 100BASE-T, the data transfer rate of wired communication is 100 Mbps. Similarly, since the current wireless communication speed in the wireless LAN control circuit 600 is 130 Mbps, the data transfer speed of wireless communication is 130 Mbps. Since the USB standard currently used in the USB interface 700 is USB 2.0, the data transfer speed of USB data communication is 480 Mbps.

Next, the power control unit 210 obtains a speed difference from other communication systems when the data transfer speed is increased by one step from the current level for each of the plurality of communication systems.
i) When the data transfer rate of wired communication is increased, the data transfer rate after the increase of wired communication is 1000 Mbps, the current data transfer rate of wireless communication is 130 Mbps, and the current data transfer rate of USB data communication is 480 Mbps. Therefore, the absolute value of the speed difference between the largest value (1000 Mbps) and the smallest value (130 Mbps) is 870 Mbps.
ii) When the data transfer rate of wireless communication is increased, the current data transfer rate of wired communication is 100 Mbps, the data transfer rate after the increase of wireless communication is 150 Mbps, and the current data transfer rate of USB data communication is 480 Mbps. Therefore, the absolute value of the speed difference between the largest value and the smallest value is 380 Mbps.
iii) When the data transfer rate of USB data communication is increased, the current data transfer rate of wired communication is 100 Mbps, the current data transfer rate of wireless communication is 130 Mbps, and the data transfer rate after the increase of USB data communication is Since it is 5 Gbps, the absolute value of the speed difference between the largest value and the smallest value is 4900 Mbps.

  The power control unit 210 selects the communication method that minimizes the speed difference after the speed increase obtained in i to iii as the communication method for increasing the data transfer speed. In the example of FIG. 9, the communication method that minimizes the speed difference after speeding up is wireless communication.

Step 4a) When the power control unit 210 determines that the upper limit value of power consumption is not exceeded, the power control unit 210 determines to change the data transfer speed in the communication method to a one-step high speed, and then repeatedly executes step 1a and the subsequent steps. To do.
Procedure 5a) On the other hand, when the power control unit 210 determines that the upper limit value of power consumption is exceeded, the power control unit 210 obtains a communication method in which the speed difference after the speed increase is the second smallest, and repeatedly executes the procedure 2 and subsequent steps.

  In the above processing, the difference in speed difference between all communication methods that can be realized by the router 10 (that is, wired communication, wireless communication, USB data communication) is suppressed. (Communication) may be excluded from speed difference deviation suppression targets.

  In step S106 of FIG. 7, when the upper limit value (A) of power consumption is smaller than the current power consumption (B) (step S106: A <B), the power control unit 210 includes a wired LAN power consumption table 320, The wireless LAN power consumption table 330 and the USB power consumption table 340 are referred to (step S112). Then, the power control unit 210 reduces the data transfer rate of the router 10 (that is, reduces the router 10 speed) based on the value of the power consumption field of each table referenced in step S112 (step S114).

  Decreasing the data transfer rate of the router 10 means reducing the communication rate in at least one of communication methods (wired communication, wireless communication, USB data communication) that can be realized by the router 10. To do. The power control unit 210 can reduce the data transfer rate of the router 10 by various methods. For example, the power control unit 210 can reduce the data transfer rate of the router 10 according to a predetermined condition. A specific method may be followed in the case of the above-described increase in the data transfer rate, and thus description thereof is omitted. Different conditions may be employed when the data transfer rate is increased and when the data transfer rate is decreased.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, the power control unit 210 includes the current power consumption (first power consumption) of the router 10, the setting information regarding the magnitude of the power consumption of the router 10, and the router 10. Correspondence relationship between a plurality of different data transfer rates that can be realized and power consumption when this data transfer rate is realized (that is, wired LAN power consumption table 320, wireless LAN power consumption table 330, USB power consumption table 340) Are used to instruct the communication unit (wired LAN interface 500, wireless LAN control circuit 600, USB interface 700) to communicate at the determined data transfer rate.

  Specifically, the power control unit 210 acquires an upper limit value of power consumption (second power consumption) derived from the setting information, and the upper limit value of power consumption (second power consumption) is the current power consumption ( If it is greater than (first power consumption), the data transfer rate in the communication unit is increased using the above correspondence. When increasing the data transfer rate in the communication unit, if the router 10 can implement a plurality of communication methods, a communication method that increases the data transfer rate is selected from the plurality of communication methods according to a predetermined condition. . Since the change in the data transfer rate in the communication unit affects the power consumption of the router 10, the power control unit 210 can thereby increase the power consumption of the router 10. On the other hand, when the upper limit value of power consumption (second power consumption) is smaller than the current power consumption (first power consumption), the data transfer rate in the communication unit is reduced using the above correspondence. When reducing the data transfer rate in the communication unit, if the router 10 can implement a plurality of communication methods, a communication method for reducing the data transfer rate is selected from the plurality of communication methods according to a predetermined condition. . Thereby, the power control unit 210 can reduce the power consumption of the router 10. As a result, the router 10 can control power consumption without requiring an additional device.

  Furthermore, the setting information acquisition unit 400 that acquires setting information regarding the power consumption of the router 10 includes a changeover switch 410. Since the changeover switch 410 is a changeover switch provided in the casing of the router 10, a user of the router 10 can input setting information by a simple method.

B. Second embodiment:
In the second embodiment of the present invention, in the network relay device described in the first embodiment, the usage rate of each data transfer rate in the communication unit is further learned, and the data transfer rate is determined using the learned content. The configuration will be described. Below, only the part which has a different structure and operation | movement from 1st Example is demonstrated. In the figure, the same components as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment described above, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of the network relay device in the second embodiment. The only difference from the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is that the router 10a as a network relay device includes a CPU 200a instead of the CPU 200, and a RAM 300a instead of the RAM 300. Other configurations and operations are the same. The same as in the first embodiment.

  The CPU 200a includes a power control unit 210a instead of the power control unit 210, and further includes a learning unit 220. The operation of the power control unit 210a will be described later. The learning unit 220 has a function of learning the usage rate of each data transfer rate in the communication unit of the router 10a. Specifically, the learning unit 220 monitors the wired LAN interface 500 of the router 10a, and counts the “number of times of activation” that is an index value indicating the usage rate for each Ethernet standard (data transfer rate). The wired LAN power consumption table 320a is updated. Similarly, the learning unit 220 monitors the wireless LAN control circuit 600 and the USB interface 700 and updates the corresponding table.

  The RAM 300a replaces the wired LAN power consumption table 320 with the wired LAN power consumption table 320a, replaces the wireless LAN power consumption table 330 with the wireless LAN power consumption table 330a, and replaces the USB power consumption table 340 with the USB power consumption table 340a. Are provided.

  FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of the wired LAN power consumption table 320a according to the second embodiment. The only difference from the first embodiment shown in FIG. 4 is that it further includes a use count field, and the other configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment. The index value counted by the learning unit 220 is stored in the usage count field. The value of the number-of-use field is updated regularly by the learning unit 220 and / or at any time when the learning unit 220 detects a state change. Note that the wireless LAN power consumption table 330a and the USB power consumption table 340a also have a usage count field, similar to the wired LAN power consumption table 320a. The details are the same as those of the wired LAN power consumption table 320a, and thus will be omitted.

  FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a method by which the power control unit 210a increases the data transfer rate of the router 10a in the second embodiment. 12A to 12C show the current use of the wired LAN power consumption table 320a, the wireless LAN power consumption table 330a, and the USB power consumption table 340a as in the first embodiment shown in FIG. The Ethernet standard is shown with an arrow. FIG. 12D shows an example of conditions for increasing the data transfer rate in the second embodiment. In the example of FIG. 12D, it is determined that priority is given to a condition where the data transfer rate is increased, which has a large number of times of use (in other words, a high usage rate). The conditions for increasing the data transfer rate are predetermined and stored in the RAM 300, as in FIG.

  When the router 10a is in the state shown in FIG. 12 and the upper limit value of the power consumption obtained in step S104 in FIG. 6 is 8 W and the current power consumption of the router 10a obtained in step S100 is 4.1 W, the power In the method for increasing the data transfer rate described with reference to FIG. 8, the control unit 210 a executes procedure 1 b instead of procedure 1, procedure 4 b instead of procedure 4, and procedure 5 b instead of procedure 5.

Procedure 1b) The power control unit 210a obtains a communication method with a large number of times of use among a plurality of communication methods in accordance with the condition of FIG. Specifically, first, the power control unit 210a refers to the three tables of the wired LAN power consumption table 320a, the wireless LAN power consumption table 330a, and the USB power consumption table 340a, and currently uses the data transfer rate. And a communication method having the largest difference between the data transfer rate and the value of the use count field of each table. In the example of FIG. 12, the communication method having the largest difference between the currently used data transfer rate (130 Mbps) and the data transfer rate (150 Mbps) having the largest value in the use count field is wireless communication.
Step 4b) If the power control unit 210a determines that the upper limit value of power consumption is not exceeded, the data control unit 210a determines the data transfer rate in the communication method to be changed to one step higher, and then the data currently used A communication method in which the difference between the transfer rate and the data transfer rate having the largest value in the number-of-uses field of each table is next is obtained, and the procedure 2 and subsequent steps are repeatedly executed.
(Procedure 5b) On the other hand, if the power control unit 210a determines that the upper limit value of power consumption is exceeded, the currently used data transfer rate and the data transfer rate with the largest value in the use count field of each table are A communication method with the next largest interval is obtained, and the procedure 2 and subsequent steps are repeatedly executed.

  In the above process, a process of intentionally excluding the data transfer side in which the value of the use count field of each table is “0” may be added. By doing so, for example, it is possible to intentionally exclude unused data transfer rates (such as USB 1.1 and USB 3.0 in FIG. 12C). Note that the method for reducing the data transfer rate in the power control unit 210a is similar to the above-described method for increasing the data transfer rate, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, in each table in the storage unit, the usage rate of the data transfer rate is indirectly specified for each communication unit (wired LAN interface 500, wireless LAN control circuit 600, USB interface 700). The number of uses as an index value indicated is stored, and the learning unit 220 monitors each communication unit and updates the index value. In addition, when the router 10a can realize a plurality of communication methods, the power control unit 210a uses the index value as a condition for selecting a communication method for increasing or decreasing the data transfer rate from the plurality of communication methods. Use. As a result, since the data transfer rate of the router 10a can be determined based on the usage rate, it is possible to control power consumption in accordance with the actual usage of the router 10a.

C. Variations:
In addition, this invention is not restricted to said Example and embodiment, A various structure can be taken in the range which does not deviate from the summary. For example, a function realized by software may be realized by hardware. In addition, the following modifications are possible.

C1. Modification 1:
In the above embodiment, the configuration of the network relay device has been described. However, the configuration of the network relay device in the above embodiment is merely an example, and any aspect can be adopted. For example, the deformation | transformation which abbreviate | omits a part of a component, adds a further component, or changes a part of a component is possible.

  For example, the router in the above embodiment can realize communication in three communication methods (wired communication, wireless communication, USB data communication), but some communication methods may be omitted. Moreover, it is good also as what has another system.

  For example, in the router of the above embodiment, the power input unit (FIG. 1) may include an AC-DC converter inside the power input unit instead of the AC adapter. Further, the power source is not particularly limited, and for example, an output of a fuel cell or a solar cell may be used instead of the commercial power source.

  For example, in the router in the above embodiment, the CPU has been described as including a power control unit and a learning unit. Moreover, the function performed in each process part was demonstrated. However, the arrangement of the processing units and the contents of the functions performed by the processing units are merely examples, and can be arbitrarily changed according to the configuration of the router.

C2. Modification 2:
In the above embodiment, one aspect of the setting information acquisition unit has been described. However, the setting information acquisition unit can adopt various modes.

  For example, the changeover switch (FIG. 2) included in the setting information acquisition unit has been described as a slide type switch. However, various types of switches can be adopted as the changeover switch. For example, a rotary type switch or a push button type switch may be adopted. Further, the setting information “large”, “medium”, and “small” are merely examples, and a configuration may be adopted in which a power value that should be the upper limit value of power consumption is directly received from the user. In this case, the setting table can be omitted.

  For example, in the router of the above embodiment, the setting information is acquired by detecting the input to the changeover switch (FIG. 2), but the changeover switch can be omitted. Specifically, for example, an input from a router setting screen (for example, a router setting screen by WEB) that can be operated by a user through a terminal connected to the router may be acquired. Moreover, the changeover switch and input from the setting screen may be used in combination.

C3. Modification 3:
In the above embodiment, an example of the power control process executed in the power control unit of the router has been described. However, various modifications of the power control process are possible.

  For example, the power control process is executed periodically. The power control process may be executed not at regular intervals but at a specific timing. For example, the power control unit may execute the power control process as part of the initialization process executed when the router is activated. The power control unit can also execute power control processing when detecting a change in the configuration of the router (for example, when detecting that a new LAN cable is connected to the wired LAN port). Furthermore, it may be executed manually by a user (command input, execution selection from a menu, etc.).

  In the above embodiment, when the router can implement a plurality of communication methods, a predetermined condition is used as means for selecting a specific communication method for increasing or decreasing the data transfer rate. However, the conditions exemplified in the above embodiments are merely examples, and various changes can be made. For example, when determining the data transfer rate (specifically, steps S110 and S114 in FIG. 7), selection of a target (communication method) for increasing or decreasing the data transfer rate may be received from the user or the like.

  In the above embodiment, the theoretical value of the data transfer rate in each communication method (wired communication, wireless communication, USB data communication) is used as the data transfer rate used in the power control process. However, the data transfer rate used in the power control process is not limited to the theoretical value. For example, an estimated value of the effective speed, a general value of the effective speed, or an actually measured value obtained by actually measuring the effective speed may be used as the data transfer speed. When using a value other than the theoretical value, for example, each of the wired LAN power consumption table 320 (FIG. 4), the wireless LAN power consumption table 330 (FIG. 5), and the USB power consumption table 340 (FIG. 6) includes an estimated value, A field for storing general values and actual measurement values may be further provided, or another table may be provided.

C4. Modification 4:
In the above embodiment, an example of the configuration of each table provided in the network relay device is shown. However, the fields provided in these tables can be arbitrarily determined. For example, fields other than those exemplified above may be provided. Further, a direct map method can be used for each table.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the power consumption upper limit field of the setting value table includes the upper limit value (W) of the router power consumption corresponding to the value of the setting information stored in the setting information field, that is, the actual power consumption. Although the value is stored, other modes may be adopted. For example, a value indicating the ratio when the power consumption in the case of the setting information “medium” is 1 may be stored.

  For example, in the second embodiment, the wired LAN power consumption table, the wireless LAN power consumption table, and the USB power consumption table include a usage count field as an index value indicating a usage rate of a certain data transfer rate. It was. However, the index value indicating the usage rate of the data transfer rate may be indicated using other criteria. Specifically, for example, the number of packets processed at the data transfer rate, the time when the process was performed using the data transfer rate, and the like may be stored.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10,10a ... Router 100 ... Power supply input part 110 ... Power plug 130 ... Power calculation part 200, 200a ... CPU
210, 210a ... Power control unit 220 ... Learning unit 310 ... Setting table 400 ... Setting information acquisition unit 410 ... Switch 500 ... Wired LAN interface 510 ... Wired LAN control unit 520 ... Port 600 ... Wireless LAN control circuit 610 ... Wireless LAN control unit 620 ... Antenna 700 ... USB interface 710 ... USB control unit 721 ... USB 1.1 function unit 722 ... USB 2.0 function unit 723 ... USB 3.0 function unit SC ... Housing CD ... Knob

Claims (8)

A network relay device,
A communication unit capable of realizing communication at different data transfer rates;
A power calculator that calculates a first power consumption that is currently consumed by the network relay device;
A setting information acquisition unit that acquires setting information related to the amount of power consumption of the network relay device;
A storage unit for storing a correspondence relationship between the plurality of data transfer rates and power consumption when the data transfer rates are realized;
A power control unit that determines a data transfer rate in the communication unit using the first power consumption, the setting information, and the correspondence relationship, and instructs the communication unit to communicate at the determined data transfer rate When,
A network relay device comprising: The network relay device according to claim 1,
The power control unit
Comparing the second power consumption directly or indirectly derived from the setting information with the first power consumption;
When the second power consumption is larger than the first power consumption, the data transfer rate in the communication unit is increased using the correspondence relationship,
When the second power consumption is smaller than the first power consumption, the network relay device reduces the data transfer rate in the communication unit using the correspondence relationship. The network relay device according to claim 1,
The communication unit can realize communication at different data transfer rates for different communication methods,
The storage unit stores the correspondence relationship for each of the plurality of communication methods,
The power control unit
Comparing the second power consumption directly or indirectly derived from the setting information with the first power consumption;
When the second power consumption is larger than the first power consumption, for a specific communication method selected from the plurality of communication methods using a plurality of the correspondence relationships and according to a predetermined condition, Increase the data transfer rate in the communication unit,
When the second power consumption is smaller than the first power consumption, for a specific communication method selected from the plurality of communication methods using a plurality of the correspondence relationships and according to a predetermined condition, A network relay device that reduces a data transfer rate in the communication unit. The network relay device according to claim 3,
The predetermined condition includes a condition using a predetermined priority order among the plurality of communication methods and a condition using a speed difference between data transfer rates currently used in each of the plurality of communication methods. And a network relay device. The network relay device according to claim 3,
The correspondence relationship is associated with the plurality of data transfer rates, and further includes an index value indicating a usage rate of the data transfer rates,
The network relay device further includes:
A learning unit that monitors the communication unit and updates the index value;
The network relay device, wherein the predetermined condition is a condition using the index value. The network relay device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The setting information acquisition unit is a network relay device including a changeover switch provided in a housing of the network relay device. The network relay device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The communication unit includes at least one of a wireless communication unit that realizes wireless communication, a wired communication unit that realizes wired communication, and a USB data communication unit that realizes communication in a universal serial bus (USB) connection. A network relay device including any one of them. A method for controlling a network relay device,
(A) calculating a first power consumption which is a power currently consumed by the network relay device;
(B) acquiring setting information regarding the magnitude of power consumption of the network relay device;
(C) storing a correspondence relationship between a plurality of different data transfer rates in a communication unit included in the network relay device and power consumption when the data transfer rates are realized;
(D) Using the first power consumption, the setting information, and the correspondence relationship, determine a data transfer rate in the communication unit, and instruct the communication unit to perform communication at the determined data transfer rate. Process,
A method for controlling a network relay device.

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