Sleep-based energy-efficient DBA in an EPON using the controlling mechanism for an ONU´s buffer occupancy and packet delay

We propose an energy-efficient dynamic bandwidth allocation (EE-DBA) in an Ethernet passive optical network. In the proposed EE-DBA, the eligibility of optical network units (ONUs) to enter a power-saving mode is investigated based on their buffer occupancy and packet delay conditions that satisfy the user´s quality of service (QoS) requirement. These conditions are easily obtained through the multipoint control protocol that is exchanged between the optical line terminal and the ONUs. The performance of the proposed EE-DBA is evaluated through simulations, and the results show that the power consumption of ONUs could be reduced by about 53% without sacrificing the user´s QoS requirement under light and moderate traffic loads.