COMMUNICATION DEVICE

• US 20110276814A1
• Filed: 04/28/2011
• Published: 11/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: KAMIJIMA, Kyoichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,874,944 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/320
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3284 Power saving in printer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

Provided is a communication device connected to a network access device constituting a network and capable of communication through the network, includes: a circumstance determining unit that determines whether or not the network is in a circumstance of executing a protocol causing blocking of communication on the network by changing the link speed to the network access device; a power saving determining unit that determines whether or not a predetermined power saving performance condition is satisfied; and a link speed control unit that maintains the link speed when it is determined that the power saving performance condition is satisfied and when the network is in the circumstance of executing the protocol.

Claims

1. A communication device connected to a network access device constituting a network and capable of communication through the network, comprising:

a circumstance determining unit that determines whether or not the network is in a circumstance of executing a protocol causing blocking of communication on the network by changing the link speed to the network access device;

a power saving determining unit that determines whether or not a predetermined power saving performance condition is satisfied; and

a link speed control unit that maintains the link speed when it is determined that the power saving performance condition is satisfied and when the network is in the circumstance of executing the protocol.

2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the circumstance determining unit determines whether or not the network is in the circumstance of executing the protocol causing blocking of communication on the network due to changing the link speed to the network access device on the basis of the time until receiving a response from a DHCP server after accessing the network.

3. The communication device according to claim 2, wherein the circumstance determining unit determines that the network is in the circumstance of executing the protocol causing blocking of communication on the network due to changing the link speed to the network access device when the time until the response is received from the DHCP server is longer than 30 seconds.

4. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the link speed control unit lowers the link speed when the power saving performance condition is satisfied and when the network is not in the circumstance of executing the protocol.

5. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the link speed control unit lowers the link speed to the lowest link speed of the available link speeds in the network access device.

6. The communication device according to claim 5, further comprising a release determining unit that determines whether or not a situation coinciding with a predetermined power saving release condition occurs,

wherein the link speed control unit raises the lowered link speed when it is determined that the situation coinciding with the power saving release condition occurs.

7. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the protocol is STP (Spanning Tree Protocol).

8. A communication control method of a communication device connected to a network access device constituting a network and capable of communication through the network, comprising:

determining whether or not the network is in a circumstance of executing a protocol causing blocking of communication on the network by changing the link speed to the network access device;

determining whether or not a predetermined power saving performance condition is satisfied; and

maintaining the link speed when it is determined that the power saving performance condition is satisfied and when the network is in the circumstance of executing the protocol.