Patent ID: 8837944

Claim:
A power supply control method comprising the steps of: determining, by an Optical Network Unit (ONU), an operation time period corresponding to a communication mode that supplies electrical power to a communication circuit, and an idle time period corresponding to a sleep mode that cuts off or reduces the electrical power to the communication circuit; transmitting from the ONU to an Optical Line Terminal (OLT) an operation time information signal that indicates the operation time period and the idle time period; receiving, by the OLT, the operation time information signal; determining, by the OLT, a software renewal time period based on the operation time information signal; transmitting from the OLT to the ONU a software renewal time information signal that indicates the software renewal time period; receiving, by the ONU, the software renewal time information signal; and by the ONU, based on determining that a present time is in the operation time period or the software renewal time period, supplying the electrical power to the communication circuit during the operation time period or the software renewal time period, or based on determining that the present time is not in the operation time period or the software renewal time period, cutting off or reducing the electrical power to the communication circuit; wherein the step of determining at the OLT the software renewal time period further comprises the steps of: receiving from the ONU an operation time information signal indicating the operating time period and the idle time period; generating a management table based on the operation time information signal; storing at least one of the idle time period or the operation time period in the management table; and determining the software renewal time period based at least partly on at least one of the idle time period or the operation time period of the management table.