KR101888855B1 - Method and apparatus for reducing power consumption in wireless local area network system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for reducing power consumption in a wireless LAN system, and a method of an AP controller for reducing power consumption in a wireless LAN system includes: Blocking the power supply to at least one AP belonging to the waiting group at a first point in time when the AP becomes a predetermined first point in time; The power consumption of the WLAN system can be reduced by temporarily shutting off the power supply to the AP that is not connected to the user for a predetermined time, including a process of restarting power supply to the AP.

Description

Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for reducing power consumption in a wireless LAN system,

The present invention relates to a wireless LAN, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for reducing power consumption in an enterprise WLAN system.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, research has been conducted on an enterprise type wireless LAN system that provides a flexible network environment by installing a plurality of wireless LAN access points (APs) in a limited space for the purpose of improving business efficiency in the enterprise. The enterprise type wireless LAN system comprises a plurality of wireless LAN APs and a wireless LAN AP controller for controlling the plurality of wireless LAN APs. At this time, the enterprise type wireless LAN system may include tens to thousands of wireless LAN APs according to the number of users.

However, in the enterprise type wireless LAN system, in general, the number of connected users is significantly reduced at a time other than the business hours, so that efficiency is degraded at times other than the business hours. In other words, in the enterprise, the number of APs increases due to a decrease in the number of workers during business hours. However, in the conventional enterprise type wireless LAN system, power is continuously supplied to all APs regardless of whether APs are used or not. There is a problem that the power is wasted because the service is maintained in a state in which it can be maintained.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the prior art, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for reducing power consumption in a wireless LAN system.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for shutting off power to predetermined APs among a plurality of wireless LAN APs in a wireless LAN system for a predetermined time.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for powering off an AP that is not connected to a user among a plurality of wireless LAN APs in a wireless LAN system for a predetermined time.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for controlling handover of users connected to a specific AP by controlling the transmission power of the wireless LAN APs in the wireless LAN system and for shutting down the power of the specific AP.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for preventing overload on a specific AP by controlling power on / off and transmission power of the wireless LAN APs in a wireless LAN system.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of reducing power consumption in a wireless LAN system, the method comprising: classifying a plurality of APs constituting a wireless LAN system into an active group and a standby group Stopping power supply to at least one AP belonging to the waiting group when a predetermined first point of time is reached; and controlling power supply to at least one AP And resuming the operation.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of reducing power consumption in a wireless local area network (WLAN) system, comprising: supplying power to a plurality of APs corresponding to a plurality of Ethernet ports; Receiving an interruption of power supply to at least one Ethernet port from the AP controller; and interrupting power supply to at least one AP corresponding to the at least one Ethernet port.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of reducing power consumption in a wireless local area network (WLAN) system, the method comprising: receiving a request for a change in transmission power from an AP controller when a preset first point of time is reached; And changing the transmission power of the AP according to the request of the AP controller. The AP controller reports status information of the AP according to the operation of the AP to the AP controller.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for an AP controller for reducing power consumption in a wireless LAN system, the apparatus comprising: When the AP reaches a first point in time, it stops power supply to at least one AP belonging to the waiting group, and when the AP reaches a predetermined second point in time, And a control unit for controlling the control unit.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for reducing power consumption in a wireless local area network (WLAN) system, comprising: a power supply unit for supplying power to a plurality of APs corresponding to a plurality of Ethernet ports; And a control unit for controlling a function of interrupting the power supply to at least one AP corresponding to the at least one Ethernet port when a power supply interruption to at least one Ethernet port is requested from the AP controller. do.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for reducing power consumption in a wireless local area network (WLAN) system, comprising: a transceiver for transmitting and receiving signals; The AP controller changes the transmission power of the transceiver according to the request of the AP controller and controls the function of reporting the AP status information according to the operation of the AP to the AP controller. do.

The present invention has the effect of reducing the power consumption of the wireless LAN system by temporarily interrupting power supply to an AP that is not connected to a user for a predetermined time in a wireless LAN system including a plurality of wireless LAN APs.

1 is a diagram illustrating a grouping method of a wireless LAN AP in a wireless LAN system according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a wireless LAN system according to the present invention;
3 is a block diagram of an AP controller in a wireless LAN system according to the present invention.
4 is a block diagram of an Ethernet switch in a wireless LAN system according to the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a block configuration of an AP in a wireless LAN system according to the present invention.
6A and 6B are diagrams illustrating an operation procedure of an AP controller in a wireless LAN system according to an embodiment of the present invention;
7 is a flowchart illustrating an operation procedure of an Ethernet switch in a wireless local area network (LAN) system according to an embodiment of the present invention; and
8 is a diagram illustrating an operation procedure of an AP in a wireless LAN system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description of the present invention, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear. In addition, the terms described below are defined in consideration of the functions of the present invention, which may vary depending on the intention of the user, the operator, or the custom. Therefore, the definition should be based on the contents throughout this specification.

Hereinafter, a method and apparatus for shutting off power to predetermined APs in a wireless LAN system including a plurality of wireless LAN access points for a predetermined time will be described.

In the present invention, a plurality of WLAN APs (hereinafter referred to as APs) included in a wireless LAN system are classified into an active group and a standby group, and the power of the APs belonging to the active group is always kept on , The APs belonging to the waiting group will be turned off. In this case, the grouping of the plurality of APs must be performed in advance. At this time, each AP can be classified into an active group or a standby group on the basis of the location where the AP is installed and the accessibility of the terminal in a specific time zone. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, APs installed in main entrance, aisle, and night worker place are classified into active groups, and APs installed in conference rooms, stairs, restaurants, .

2 shows a configuration of a wireless LAN system according to the present invention.

2, the WLAN system includes a WLAN AP controller 200, an Ethernet switch 210, and a plurality of WLAN APs 220-1 to 220-N.

The AP controller 200 controls and manages the operations of a plurality of APs 220-1 to 220-N connected to the network. That is, the AP controller 200 determines setting values for a service operation such as an SSID and a wireless channel to operate the APs 220-1 to 220-N, ). The AP controller 200 collects status information of the plurality of APs 220-1 to 220-N, calculates call admission control (CAC) for the APs, load (Load balancing), interference signal detection, interference signal avoidance, and the like, thereby providing an optimal service in the wireless LAN system. Particularly, the AP controller 200 divides the plurality of APs 220-1 to 220-N into an active group and a standby group according to the present invention, and controls the Ethernet switch 210 to supply power Thereby keeping the power of the APs belonging to the active group always on and performing a function of turning off the power of the standby group APs for a predetermined time. When there is an access terminal in the idle group AP for the predetermined time, the AP controller 200 controls transmission power of the active group AP and the idle group AP so that the access terminal is handed to the active group AP When the number of terminals connected to the active group AP is greater than or equal to the threshold number, the power of the standby group AP located nearby is turned on to reduce the load of the active group AP.

The Ethernet switch 210 supplies power to the plurality of APs 220-1 to 220-N via an Ethernet cable and the AP controller 200 and the plurality of APs 220-1 to 220- N to transmit signals received and transmitted between them. In particular, the Ethernet switch 210 may stop the power supply to the Ethernet port corresponding to the specific AP for a predetermined time according to the control of the AP controller 200, and then restart the power. Here, the Ethernet switch 210 may be a PoE (Power of Ethernet) Ethernet switch conforming to the IEEE 802.3af standard.

The plurality of APs 220-1 to 220-N are nodes for providing a communication service to a user terminal in the WLAN system. The plurality of APs 220-1 to 220-N are powered by the Ethernet switch 210, As shown in Fig. That is, each of the plurality of APs 220-1 to 220-N reports status information indicating the number of access terminals, traffic conditions, etc. to the AP controller 200 periodically or at predetermined time points, 200 to adjust the transmission power and reception sensitivity. Each of the plurality of APs 220-1 to 220-N is powered off when the power from the Ethernet switch 210 is turned off. When power is supplied from the Ethernet switch 210, .

3 shows a block diagram of an AP controller in a wireless LAN system according to the present invention.

3, the AP controller includes a control unit 300, a storage unit 310, and an Ethernet interface unit 320. The control unit 300 includes a wireless LAN AP status collecting unit 300, A wireless LAN AP control unit 310, and an Ethernet switch control unit 320.

The controller 300 controls the overall operation of the plurality of APs constituting the WLAN system. In particular, the WLAN AP state collector 300, the WLAN AP controller 310, By controlling the Ethernet switch control unit 320, it controls a function for turning on / off the power of some APs at a preset time.

That is, the WLAN AP status collecting unit 302 included in the controller 300 collects status information according to the operation of a plurality of APs constituting the WLAN system, and transmits the collected information to the storage unit 310 ). At this time, the WLAN AP status information collection unit 300 periodically collects the status information or may collect the status information at predetermined time points. At this time, the status information means information indicating the number of terminals connected to each AP, the traffic situation of each AP, location information of the AP, and the like.

In addition, the WLAN AP control unit 304 included in the control unit 300 calculates CAC, load balancing, interference signal detection, and interference signal avoidance for the APs in consideration of the collected state information . In particular, the WLAN AP control unit 304 controls the Ethernet switch to turn off the power of the standby group APs for a predetermined time, and turn on the power of the standby group APs that have been powered off after the predetermined time .

More specifically, the WLAN AP control unit 304 checks the APs belonging to the active group and the APs belonging to the active group from the active AP list 311 and the standby AP list 312 stored in the storage unit 310, And outputs a signal to the Ethernet switch control unit 320 to turn off power to the APs belonging to the standby group when the predetermined power saving mode entry time arrives. Of course, there may be a terminal connected to an AP belonging to the waiting group at the predetermined time, so that the WLAN AP control unit 304 can directly supply power to the APs belonging to the waiting group The number of connected terminals is checked. Thereafter, the WLAN AP control unit 304 controls a function for directly shutting off power to APs which are not connected to the AP. For the APs with which the connected terminal exists, the number of connected terminals is compared with the threshold number to induce the handover of the connected terminals to the corresponding AP, or to control the function for temporarily setting the AP as the active group. At this time, the WLAN AP control unit 304 controls the transmission power and the reception sensitivity of the active group APs to be the maximum value, and decreases the transmission power of the AP in which the currently connected terminal is present, The UE can be guided to hand over to the active group AP. Thereafter, if it is determined that the access terminal is handed over to the AP, the WLAN AP control unit 304 controls a function for turning off power to the AP.

When the number of terminals connected to the specific AP in the active group exceeds the maximum threshold, the WLAN AP control unit 304 controls the WLAN AP 300 based on the location information 312 of the AP stored in the storage unit 310 Temporarily sets at least one standby group AP located in the vicinity of a specific AP in the group as an active group, and supplies power to the AP to control the function for preventing the overload of the active group AP. The WLAN AP control unit 304 resumes the power supply to the standby group APs whose power has been turned off, and turns on the power of the standby group APs when the preset power saving mode end time comes, So that the transmission power and the reception sensitivity of the APs are the values of the normal operation mode set in advance. Here, the power saving mode entering time and the power saving mode ending time may be set by a designer or an operator. For example, the power saving mode entering time may be set to 8:00 PM in consideration of a commute time of a company worker , And the power save mode end time may be set to 7 am.

The Ethernet switch control unit 306 included in the controller 300 controls the power supply cutoff signal or the power supply restart signal for the Ethernet port corresponding to the specific AP according to a signal input from the WLAN AP control unit 304 Output. That is, the Ethernet switch control unit 305 checks the Ethernet port corresponding to the AP indicated by the WLAN AP control unit 304 from the Ethernet port information 315 of the storage unit 310, And outputs a signal to the Ethernet interface unit 320 requesting to interrupt the supply or resume the power supply.

The storage unit 310 stores various programs and data necessary for the operation of the WLAN AP controller 200. In particular, the storage unit 310 stores an active AP list 311 and a standby AP list 312. Here, the active AP list 311 and the standby AP list 312 can be input and set by the user at the time of initial installation of the wireless LAN system or at the time of addition installation of the AP, Do. The storage unit 310 includes AP location information 313, access terminal information 314, and Ethernet port information 315 under the control of the controller 300. [ Here, the AP location information 313 is information indicating the location where each AP is installed, and may be reported from the AP when the AP is installed or the location of the AP is changed. The access terminal information 314 for each AP may indicate the number of terminals connected to each AP, and may be reported from the AP each time the number of terminals connected to the APs is changed. Also, the access terminal information 314 for each AP may be information indicating traffic conditions of each AP, which may be used for preventing overload of each AP. In addition, the Ethernet port information 315 indicates information indicating an Ethernet port corresponding to each AP in the Ethernet switch 210.

The Ethernet interface unit 310 transmits / receives a signal to / from the Ethernet switch 310 under the control of the WLAN AP controller 200.

4 shows a block diagram of an Ethernet switch in a wireless LAN system according to the present invention.

4, the Ethernet switch 210 includes an Ethernet switch control unit 400, a power supply unit 410, and a plurality of Ethernet interfaces 410-1 to 410-N.

The Ethernet switch control unit 400 supplies power to the plurality of APs 220-1 to 220-N via an Ethernet cable under the control of the WLAN AP controller 200, And a plurality of APs 220-1 to 220-N. That is, the Ethernet switch control unit 400 recognizes the power supply interruption or the power supply resume signal received from the AP controller 200 and informs the power supply unit 410 of the power supply interruption or power supply resumption to the corresponding Ethernet port request. When receiving a signal for a specific AP from the WLAN AP controller 200, the Ethernet switch control unit 400 controls the Ethernet interface unit 420-1 through 420-N, which are connected to the specific AP, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > and / or < / RTI >

The power supply unit 410 is connected to a plurality of APs 220-1 to 220-N connected through the plurality of Ethernet interfaces 410-1 to 410-N according to the control of the Ethernet switch controller 400 Supply power. In particular, according to the control of the Ethernet switch control unit 400, the power supply unit 410 stops supplying power to the Ethernet port for a specific AP or resumes the power supply that was interrupted.

The plurality of Ethernet interfaces 410-1 to 410-N transmit / receive signals to / from the plurality of APs 220-1 to 220-N under the control of the Ethernet switch controller 400. [ In particular, each of the plurality of Ethernet interface units 410-1 to 410-N provides the power provided from the power supply unit 410 to the corresponding AP. Here, the plurality of Ethernet interface units 410-1 to 410-N may include an Ethernet cable.

FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of an AP in a wireless LAN system according to the present invention.

5, the AP 220 includes a controller 500, an Ethernet interface 510, and a wireless LAN modem 520. The Ethernet interface 510 includes a power receiver 510, And the wireless LAN modem 520 includes a MAC processor 522, a PHY processor 524, an RF transceiver 526, and an antenna 528.

The control unit 500 controls and processes an overall function for providing a communication service to a user terminal. In particular, the control unit 500 adjusts transmission power and reception sensitivity under the control of the AP controller 200, And controls and processes the function for turning on / off the power according to whether or not the power of the power source is supplied. In addition, the controller 500 reports to the AP controller 200 the status information of the AP, that is, information indicating the number of terminals accessing the AP and traffic conditions. Here, it is assumed that the AP operates in transmission power and reception sensitivity lower than the maximum transmission power and maximum reception sensitivity in the normal operation mode. Accordingly, the control unit 500 of the AP can change the transmission power and reception sensitivity of the AP to the maximum in the power saving mode under the control of the AP controller 200. [

The Ethernet interface unit 510 transmits / receives a signal to / from the Ethernet switch 210 under the control of the controller 500. In particular, the Ethernet interface unit 510 receives the power provided from the Ethernet switch 210 by providing the power receiving unit 510, and provides the power to the AP 200 through the Ethernet interface unit 510. Here, the Ethernet interface unit 510 may include an Ethernet cable.

The wireless LAN modem 530 transmits / receives a wireless signal for wireless connection under the control of the controller 500. [ The wireless LAN modem 530 includes a MAC processing unit 522 for processing a signal for a MAC (Media Access Control) layer, a PHY processing unit 524 for processing a signal for a PHY (Physical) layer, An RF transmission / reception processing unit 526, and an antenna 528. [ At this time, the WLAN modem 530 controls transmission power and reception sensitivity through the RF transmission / reception unit 530 under the control of the control unit 500.

6A and 6B illustrate operation procedures of an AP controller in a wireless LAN system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Here, it is assumed that the power saving mode entry time is set to 8:00 PM and the power saving mode end time is set to 7:00 AM.

Referring to FIGS. 6A and 6B, the AP controller checks whether the AP power saving mode entry time is reached in step 601. FIG. That is, the AP controller checks whether it is 8:00 PM set as the power saving mode entry time.

The AP controller proceeds to step 603 to request the AP to change the transmission power and reception sensitivity of the APs belonging to the active group to the maximum value. Here, changing the transmission power and reception sensitivity of the APs belonging to the active group to the maximum value is intended to induce handover of the terminals connected to the AP belonging to the standby group.

In step 605, the AP controller confirms the number of connected APs with respect to each AP belonging to the waiting group. The AP controller determines in step 607 whether there is a terminal accessing a specific AP belonging to the waiting group based on the number of terminals connected to the APs. If there is no terminal connected to the specific AP, the AP controller proceeds to step 613 to turn off power to the specific AP, and then proceeds to step 615. Here, the AP controller can check the Ethernet port for the specific AP, and can interrupt the power supply to the specific AP by requesting the Ethernet switch to interrupt the power supply to the Ethernet port.

On the other hand, if there is a terminal accessing the specific AP, the AP controller proceeds to step 609 and compares the number of connected terminals with the first threshold terminal number. If the number of terminals accessing the specific AP is greater than the number of the first threshold terminals, the AP controller temporarily sets a specific AP belonging to the standby group as an active group to maintain power supply, and then proceeds to step 615 do. Here, when the power save mode is terminated, the AP temporarily set as the active group returns to the initial setting state and is changed to the standby group.

On the other hand, if the number of terminals accessing the specific AP is less than or equal to the number of the first threshold terminals, the AP controller proceeds to step 617 to request the specific AP to gradually decrease the transmission power, Thereby inducing handover. That is, the AP controller induces a terminal connected to the specific AP to perform handover to an AP of a standby group located nearby. Thereafter, the AP controller returns to step 607 and performs processing for another AP belonging to the waiting group.

In step 615, the AP controller determines whether all the APs belonging to the waiting group are powered off. If there is an AP that has not been powered off among the APs belonging to the waiting group, the AP controller returns to step 607 and processes the remaining APs.

On the other hand, when the power of all the APs belonging to the waiting group is shut off, the AP controller goes to step 617 and checks whether there is an AP whose number of access terminals is equal to or greater than the number of second critical terminals among APs belonging to the active group . If the AP having the number of access terminals not equal to or greater than the second threshold number of terminals among the APs belonging to the active group does not exist, the AP controller proceeds to step 625.

On the other hand, if there is an AP having a number of access terminals equal to or greater than the number of second threshold terminals among APs belonging to the active group, the AP controller proceeds to step 621 to check a standby group AP located adjacent to the AP, Temporarily sets the identified waiting group AP as an active group, and supplies power to the terminal to provide a communication service to the terminal. That is, the AP controller turns on the standby group AP located in the vicinity of the specific AP to prevent a large number of terminals from being connected to a specific AP belonging to the active group to cause an overload, To the handover-initiated standby group AP. At this time, the AP controller may be set to the temporary activation group and request the AP to change the transmission power and the reception sensitivity to the maximum value. Also, the AP controller can supply power to the identified waiting group AP by checking the Ethernet port for the identified waiting group AP and requesting the Ethernet switch to resume the power supply to the Ethernet port.

Thereafter, the AP controller proceeds to step 625 and determines whether the AP power saving mode end time is reached. That is, the AP controller checks whether it is 7:00 am, which is the power saving mode end time. If the AP power saving mode end time is not reached, the AP controller returns to step 619 and re-executes the following steps. If the AP power saving mode end time is reached, the AP controller returns power to all the APs in step 627 Requests all the APs to be turned on, and changes the state of the APs to an initial state. Here, the initial setting state of the APs means that the AP operates with a predetermined transmission power and reception sensitivity, not with the maximum transmission power and maximum reception sensitivity. At this time, the group of the APs temporarily set as the active group will be changed to the standby group in the initial setting state.

Thereafter, the AP controller terminates the algorithm according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates an operation procedure of an Ethernet switch in a wireless LAN system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, the Ethernet switch proceeds to step 701 and supplies power to all APs. In step 703, the Ethernet switch checks whether a power off signal for specific APs is received from the AP controller. If a power off signal for the specific APs is received, the Ethernet switch stops supplying power to the Ethernet port corresponding to the specific APs.

In step 707, the Ethernet switch checks whether a power supply signal for the specific AP is received. If the power supply signal for the specific AP is not received, the Ethernet switch proceeds to step 711, In step 709, when the power supply signal is received, the power supply to the Ethernet port corresponding to the specific AP is resumed.

In step 711, the Ethernet switch checks whether a power supply signal for all APs is received. In this case, when the power supply signal to all the APs is not received, the Ethernet switch returns to step 707 and re-executes the following steps. On the other hand, when the power supply signals for all the APs are received, Go back and do the following steps again.

Although only the power supply of the Ethernet switch is described in the above description, it is natural that the Ethernet switch transfers the signal of the AP controller to the AP and transmits the signal of the AP to the AP controller.

FIG. 8 illustrates an operation procedure of an AP in a wireless LAN system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 8, the AP receives power in step 801, and proceeds to step 803 to provide a communication service to the terminal by operating with preset transmission power and reception sensitivity. Here, the preset transmission power and reception sensitivity means a value smaller than the maximum transmission power and reception sensitivity.

Thereafter, the AP proceeds to step 805 and checks whether a signal requesting an operation from the AP controller to the active AP is received. That is, the AP audits whether a signal requesting to operate with the maximum transmission power and reception sensitivity is received from the AP controller. If a signal requesting an operation with the active AP is received, the AP proceeds to step 815 and changes its transmit power and receive sensitivity to the maximum value. In step 817, the AP transmits an operation request signal to the general AP It is checked whether it is received. When the operation request signal to the general AP is not received, the AP returns to step 815. On the other hand, when the operation request signal to the general AP is received, the AP returns to step 803 and performs the following steps again.

On the other hand, if a signal requesting operation is not received from the active AP, the AP proceeds to step 807 to check whether a signal requesting operation from the AP is received. That is, the AP checks whether a signal requesting to stepwise decrease the transmission power from the AP controller is received. If the AP does not receive a signal requesting to operate as a standby AP, the AP proceeds to step 811. If a signal requesting operation from the AP to the standby AP is received, the AP proceeds to step 809 Thereby gradually reducing the transmission power. This is to induce a handover of a terminal connected to the AP.

Thereafter, the AP proceeds to step 811 and checks whether power supply from the Ethernet switch is interrupted. If the power supply is interrupted, the AP performs a power off operation in step 813 and terminates the algorithm according to the present invention.

As described above, in the present invention, the power of some APs among a plurality of APs constituting the wireless LAN system is turned off at a specific time, thereby reducing the total power consumption. For example, assuming that the power consumption per AP is 12Wh when 500 APs are operated, 4320kWh (30 days x 24 hours x 500 x 12Wh) is required to operate the 500 APs for 30 days according to the conventional system. Is consumed. However, according to the present invention, 200 out of the 500 APs are classified as active groups, 300 are classified as standby groups, and 10 hours are set as the power saving mode time, 3240 KWh 30 days × ((24 hours × 200 units) + (14 hours × 300 units)) × 12 Wh. Therefore, according to the conventional system, the power consumption can be reduced by 25% compared with the case where 500 APs are always operated.

In the present invention described above, the AP controller controls the Ethernet switch to shut down and restart the power supplied to the standby group AP. However, instead of shutting off the power of the standby group AP according to the design scheme, You will be able to operate in hibernation mode. At this time, in order to release the hibernation mode of the standby group AP, the AP and the AP controller determine a pattern for releasing the hibernation mode, and when the AP receives the signal of the predetermined pattern through the Ethernet switch in the hibernation mode , The hibernation mode is canceled and the operation mode is switched to the normal mode.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited by the illustrated embodiments, but should be determined by the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

Claims (24)

A method of operating an access point (AP) controller in a wireless communication system,
Classifying a plurality of APs into an active group and a standby group;
Requesting the at least one AP to reduce a transmission power for handover of the connected terminal when the number of terminals connected to at least one AP belonging to the waiting group is equal to or less than a first threshold value;
Blocking the power supply to the at least one AP after the handover is performed;
And resuming power to the at least one AP if the number of terminals connected to the APs belonging to the active group exceeds a second threshold.
The method according to claim 1,
The step of interrupting the power supply may include:
Identifying whether there is a terminal connected to each of at least one AP belonging to the waiting group,
And stopping power supply to an AP for which there is no connected terminal.
The method according to claim 1,
If the number of terminals connected to at least one AP belonging to the standby group exceeds the first threshold value, changing from the standby group to the active group and maintaining power supply.
The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising the step of requesting an AP belonging to the active group to operate with maximum transmit power and receive sensitivity as the power supply to the at least one AP is cut off.
The method according to claim 1,
Identifying a number of the terminals connected to the AP belonging to the active group;
Identifying at least one AP belonging to the waiting group based on the location of the active group if the number of the terminals exceeds the second threshold;
And changing the identified at least one AP to the active group.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the step of resuming power supply to the at least one AP comprises:
And controlling an Ethernet switch connecting the plurality of APs to resume power supply to the at least one AP.
A method of operating an Ethernet switch in a wireless communication system,
Supplying power to a plurality of APs corresponding to a plurality of Ethernet ports,
Disabling at least one Ethernet port corresponding to at least one AP belonging to a waiting group among the plurality of APs from an AP controller;
And resuming power supply to the at least one AP corresponding to the at least one Ethernet port when the number of terminals connected to the APs belonging to the active group among the plurality of APs exceeds a second threshold value and,
Wherein when a number of terminals connected to the at least one AP is equal to or less than a first threshold value, a request for transmission power reduction for handover of the connected terminal is transmitted to the at least one AP,
Wherein the step of interrupting the power supply comprises interrupting the power supply to the at least one AP after the handover is performed.
8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the resuming of power supply to the at least one AP corresponding to the at least one Ethernet port comprises:
And resuming power supply to the at least one AP when the AP controller is requested to supply power to all the Ethernet ports.
A method of operating an access point (AP) in a wireless communication system,
Receiving a control message for classifying the AP into a standby group from an AP controller;
Receiving a message for transmission power reduction for handover of the connected terminal from the AP controller when the number of terminals connected to the AP is equal to or less than a first threshold value; The power supply is interrupted,
When the number of terminals connected to an AP belonging to an active group whose power supply is not blocked among a plurality of APs exceeds a second threshold value, a state in which the power supply is resumed in a state in which the power supply to the AP is blocked ≪ / RTI >
10. The method of claim 9,
Receiving a reception sensitivity change request from the AP controller;
And changing the reception sensitivity according to the request of the AP controller.
An apparatus of an AP controller in a wireless communication system,
Classifying a plurality of APs into an active group and a standby group, and when a number of terminals connected to at least one AP belonging to the waiting group is equal to or less than a first threshold value, When the number of terminals connected to the AP belonging to the active group exceeds a second threshold value, the mobile terminal requests power to the at least one AP after the handover is performed, And control to restart power supply to at least one AP.
12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the control unit identifies whether there is a terminal connected to each of the at least one AP and controls to stop power supply to an AP in which the terminal is not present.
12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the control unit changes from the standby group to the active group and maintains power supply when the number of terminals connected to at least one AP belonging to the standby group exceeds the first threshold.
12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the controller controls to request an AP belonging to the active group to operate with maximum transmission power and reception sensitivity as the power supply to at least one AP belonging to the standby group is cut off.
12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the control unit identifies a number of the terminals connected to the AP belonging to the activation group and, if the number of the terminals exceeds the second threshold, And controls to change the identified at least one AP to the active group.
12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the controller controls an Ethernet switch connecting the plurality of APs to resume power supply to the at least one AP.
An apparatus of an Ethernet switch in a wireless communication system,
A power supply unit for supplying power to a plurality of access points corresponding to a plurality of Ethernet ports,
When a number of terminals connected to at least one AP among the plurality of APs is equal to or smaller than a first threshold value, a request for transmission power reduction for handover of the connected terminal is transmitted from the AP controller, After the terminal is handed over, at least one Ethernet port corresponding to the at least one AP is blocked from being powered on,
And to resume power supply to the at least one AP corresponding to the at least one Ethernet port when the number of terminals connected to the APs belonging to the active group among the plurality of APs exceeds a second threshold value / RTI >
18. The method of claim 17,
Wherein the control unit resumes the power supply to the at least one AP when the AP controller is requested to supply power to all the Ethernet ports.
In an apparatus of an access point (AP) in a wireless communication system,
A transmission / reception unit for transmitting / receiving a signal,
Wherein the transmitting and receiving unit receives from the AP controller a control message for classifying the AP into a waiting group, and when the number of terminals connected to the AP is equal to or less than a first threshold value, a transmission power reduction for handover of the connected terminal from the AP controller , The power of the AP is interrupted after the handover of the connected terminal is performed and the power of the AP connected to the AP belonging to the active group And controlling the power supply to operate in a state in which the power supply is restarted when the power supply is cut off when the count exceeds the second threshold value.
20. The method of claim 19,
Wherein the control unit is requested to change the reception sensitivity from the AP controller and controls the reception sensitivity of the transmission / reception unit to change according to a request from the AP controller. delete delete delete delete

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