Patent ID: 9094197
Filing Date: 2015-07-28
Classification: H04L,Y02D

Abstract:
1. An energy efficient Ethernet (EEE) physical layer device for a wired Ethernet network equipment to be coupled to a media access control device, comprising: an EEE control module to generate one or more control signals to transition the physical layer device for a wired Ethernet network equipment into a low power consumption mode based on one or more operating conditions; and a pause frame generator module in communication with the EEE control module and to generate a pause frame including a pause time in response to the one or more control signals, the pause frame generator module to send the pause frame to the associated media access control device to reduce an incoming flow of data packets from the media access control device to the physical layer device for the duration of the pause time, wherein the pause frame generator module generates the pause frame comprising the pause time indicating the length of time for the physical layer device to be in the low power consumption mode, the value of the pause time for each pause frame being determined adaptively based on the type of data traffic to be transmitted from the physical layer device; and wherein the EEE control module generates a control signal for the pause frame generator module indicative of the pause time to be used with each pause frame, the value of the pause time being determined based on one or more algorithms defining a shorter or a longer time for the physical layer device to be in the low power consumption mode as a function of the type of data packet to be transmitted from the physical layer device.