# US 2013/0156426 A1 · Low power optical network terminal and method of operating low power optical network terminal > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2013/0156426 A1 - Document ID: US20130156426A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/596,330 - Filed: 2012-08-28 - Published: 2013-06-20 - Earliest claimed: 2011-12-15 - Assignees: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute - Inventors: Geun Yong KIM; Sung Chang Kim; Mun Seob Lee; Hark Yoo; Young Suk Lee; Dong Soo Lee - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130156426A1 ## CPC - H04B 10/272: Star-type networks {or tree-type networks} - H04Q 11/0067: {Provisions for optical access or distribution networks, e.g. Gigabit Ethernet Passive Optical Network (GE-PON), ATM-based Passive Optical Network (A-PON), PON-Ring} - H04Q 11/0071: {Provisions for the electrical-optical layer interface} - H04Q 2011/0064: {Arbitration, scheduling or medium access control aspects} - H04Q 2011/0079: {Operation or maintenance aspects} - H04B: TRANSMISSION - H04Q: SELECTING (switches, relays, selectors H01H; wireless communication networks H04W) ## Abstract Disclosed is a low power optical network terminal (ONT) and a method of operating the low power ONT. The low power ONT may include a network media access control (MAC) processing unit to transmit and receive traffic to and from an optical line terminal (OLT), a switching unit to receive the traffic transmitted from the network MAC processing unit and transmit the traffic to a subscriber terminal and to receive the traffic from the subscriber terminal and transmit the traffic to the OLT, and a control unit to control traffic transmission from the network MAC processing unit when a power mode is a low power mode. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A low power optical network terminal (ONT) comprising: a network media access control (MAC) processing unit to transmit traffic to and receive traffic from an optical line terminal (OLT); a switching unit to receive the traffic transmitted from the network MAC processing unit and transmit the traffic to a subscriber terminal and to receive the traffic from the subscriber terminal and transmit the traffic to the OLT; and a control unit to control traffic transmission from the network MAC processing unit when a power mode is a low power mode. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The low power ONT of claim 1, wherein the switching unit transmits a traffic request to the control unit when the switching unit receives the traffic request from at least one of N subscriber terminals, wherein N is a natural number, and when the control unit receives the traffic request from the switching unit, the control unit switches the power mode to a normal mode to allow the network MAC processing unit to transmit the traffic. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The low power ONT of claim 1, wherein the network MAC processing unit comprises: a signal converting unit to convert an optical signal received from the OLT into an electrical signal and to convert an electrical signal to be transmitted to the OLT into an optical signal; a frame processing unit to analyze a frame of a first format converted into the electrical signal; and a frame converting unit to convert the frame of the first format received from the frame processing unit into a frame of a second format and transmit the frame of the second format to the switching unit, and to convert the frame of the second format received from the switching unit into a frame of a first format and transmit the frame of the first format to the frame processing unit. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The low power ONT of claim 3, wherein the control unit controls operation of the frame converting unit by powering off the frame converting unit. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The low power ONT of claim 3, wherein the network MAC processing unit further comprises: an optical transmitting unit to transmit the converted optical signal to the OLT, and the control unit controls operation of the optical transmitting unit by powering off the optical transmitting unit when the low power mode is a doze sleep mode. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The low power ONT of claim 3, wherein the network MAC processing unit further comprises: an optical receiving unit to receive the optical signal from the OLT; and an optical transmitting unit to transmit the converted optical signal to the OLT, the control unit controls operation of the optical receiving unit and the optical transmitting unit by powering off the optical receiving unit and the optical transmitting unit when the low power mode is a cyclic sleep mode. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The low power ONT of claim 1, wherein the switching unit comprises a first interface to receive the traffic from the network MAC processing unit and transmit the traffic to the subscriber terminal, and a second interface to receive the traffic from the subscriber terminal and transmit the traffic to the network MAC processing unit, and the control unit controls operation of the first interface by powering off the first interface, and maintains operation of the second interface by powering on the second interface. ### Claim 8 A method of operating a low power optical network terminal (ONT), the method implemented by the low power ONT, the method comprising: receiving, by a network multi access computer (MAC) processing unit in the low power ONT, traffic from an optical line terminal (OLT); controlling, by a control unit in the low power ONT, traffic transmission from the network MAC processing unit when a power mode is a low power mode, and when the power mode is out of the low power mode, allowing the network MAC processing unit to transmit the traffic; and receiving, by a switching unit in the low power ONT, the transmitted traffic and transmitting the traffic to a subscriber terminal when the traffic is transmitted. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, further comprising: transmitting, by the switching unit, a traffic request to the control unit when the switching unit receives the traffic request from at least one of N subscriber terminals, wherein N is a natural number; and receiving, by the control unit, the traffic request from the switching unit, and when the power mode is the low power mode, switching the power mode to a normal mode. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, when the power mode is the low power mode, further comprising: controlling, by the control unit, operation of a first interface by powering off the first interface receiving the traffic from the network MAC processing unit and transmitting the traffic to the subscriber terminal; and controlling, by the control unit, operation of a second interface by powering on the second interface receiving the traffic from the subscriber terminal and transmitting the traffic to the network MAC processing unit.