ENHANCED METHOD FOR CONTROLLING NETWORK DEVICES IN A VERY LOW POWER CONSUMPTION STATE

• US 20120281696A1
• Filed: 04/17/2012
• Published: 11/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: POHLMANN, Frank
• Granted Patent: US 9,455,840 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/390
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/12 Arrangements for remote connection or disconnection of substations or of equipment thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/18 for broadcast or conference , e.g. multicast
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for controlling network devices in a low power consumption state, comprising the steps of: generating a network packet to be transmitted over a network to the network devices, the network packet containing at least a data portion, wherein said data portion comprises a preamble portion, and a sequence of n identical hardware multicast or broadcast address portions. The invention also relates to a method for controlling network devices in a very low power consumption state, comprising the steps of: generating a network packet to be transmitted over a network to the network devices, the network packet containing at least a data portion, wherein said data portion comprises a preamble portion, a sequence of n identical hardware unicast address portions, a password portion and a network and/or device address portion.

Claims

1. Method for controlling network devices in a low power consumption state, comprising the steps of:

generating a network packet to be transmitted over a network to the network devices, the network packet containing at least a data portion, wherein said data portion comprises

a preamble portion, and a sequence of n identical hardware multicast or broadcast address portions.

3. Method according to claim 1, wherein said data portion further comprises a password portion.

4. Method according to claim 1, wherein said data portion further comprises a network and/or device address portion.

5. Method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said data portion further comprises a control tag portion.

6. Method according to claim 1 or 2, comprising

scanning the data portion of a received network packet without leaving the low power consumption state, and

comparing each the preamble portion and the hardware address portions with a predetermined value set in the respective network device.

7. Method according to claim 3, wherein the password portion is compared with a predetermined value stored in the network device.

8. Method according to claim 5, wherein the network device performs one or more functions in response to a value in the control tag portion.

9. Method according to claim 8, wherein a function is to leave the low power consumption state.

10. Method according to claim 6, wherein the step of comparing is performed by a state machine.

11. Method according to claim 1, wherein n is at least 16.

12. Method according to claim 1, wherein said preamble portion contains six bytes each having the hexadecimal value FF.

2. Method for controlling network devices in a very low power consumption state, comprising the steps of:

generating a network packet to be transmitted over a network to the network devices, the network packet containing at least a data portion, wherein said data portion comprises

a preamble portion, a sequence of n identical hardware unicast address portions, a password portion and a network and/or device address portion.

13. Data structure of a network packet, comprising at least a data portion, wherein said data portion comprises a preamble portion and a sequence of n identical hardware multicast or broadcast address portions.

15. Data structure according to claim 13, wherein said data portion further comprises a password portion.

16. Data structure according to claim 13, wherein said data portion further comprises an initiator network and/or device address portion.

17. Data structure according to claim 13, wherein said data portion further comprises a control tag portion, said control tag portion comprising at least one control tag.

18. Data structure according to claim 13, wherein said preamble portion contains a sequence of similar bits, preferably 48 bits with value “

1”

.

19. Data structure according to claim 13, wherein n is at least 16.

20. Data structure according to claim 13, wherein said network packet is part of a payload of an Ethernet frame.

14. Data structure of a network packet, comprising at least a data portion, wherein said data portion comprises a preamble portion, a sequence of n identical hardware unicast address portions, a password portion and an initiator network and/or device address portion.

21. Transmitter of a network device comprising a network packet generator adapted to generate a network packet having a data structure comprising at least a data portion, wherein said data portion comprises either

a preamble portion and a sequence of n identical hardware multicast or broadcast address portions

or a preamble portion, a sequence of n identical hardware unicast address portions, a password portion and an initiator network and/or device address portion.

22. Receiver of a network device having a hardware address, comprising:

a network packet scanner adapted to scan in a low consumption state the data portion of a network packet having a data structure comprising at least a data portion, wherein said data portion comprises either

a preamble portion and a sequence of n identical hardware multicast or broadcast address portions

or a preamble portion, a sequence of n identical hardware unicast address portions, a password portion and an initiator network and/or device address portion, and

an evaluator adapted to

evaluate in a low consumption state whether the scanned data portion contains a sequence of n identical hardware address portions, the value of the hardware address portion corresponding to the hardware address of the network device, and a password portion corresponding to a password stored in the network device, and

to pass the at least one control tag of said control tag portion to a controller unit for performing one or more functions corresponding to the at least one control tag.

23. Receiver according to claim 22, wherein said evaluator is adapted to pass the network and/or device address portion to said controller unit.