Multi-pair aggregate power distribution

• US 20060163949A1
• Filed: 03/27/2006
• Published: 07/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Barrass, Hugh
• Granted Patent: US 7,545,055 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/19
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/10 Parallel operation of dc sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1308 Power supply

Abstract

Apparatus and methods for transmitting power over non-adjacent multiple conducting pairs and aggregating powers from the conducting pairs to power a remote electronic device.

Claims

1. A device adapted to be coupled to an end station at a network termination (NT) in a system having power supplying capabilities for providing power to the end station, the device comprising:

an input coupled to a first conducting pair and a second conducting pair of a plurality of conducting pairs from a line termination (LT) of the system to receive power from the LT, wherein the first and second conducting pairs are either adjacent or non-adjacent to each other at the LT; and

a circuit coupled to the input and configured to aggregate power from the first and second conducting pairs and supply the aggregated power to the end station.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the input is coupled to a third conducting pair of the plurality of conducting pairs, the third conducting pair being either adjacent or non-adjacent to the first or second conducting pairs.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the circuit further comprises one or more rectifiers configured to receive AC power transmitted over the first and second conducting pairs and configured to rectify the AC power into direct current (DC) power.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein the rectifiers are configured to provide the aggregated power.

5. The device of claim 1 further comprising one or more current limiters coupled to the first and second conducting pairs, the one or more current limiters operable to limit the power from the first and second conducting pairs to provide power demand information of the end station.

6. The device of claim 5 further comprising a load controller coupled to the one or more current limiters, wherein the load controller selectively activates the one or more current limiters based on whether the end station is allowed to receive a full power demand.

7. The device of claim 1 wherein the device is capable to provide aggregated power to the end station from power provided by any first conducting pair and any second conducting pair of the plurality of conducting pairs from the LT.

8. A system for providing power from a line termination (LT) to an end station at a network termination (NT), the system comprising:

a plurality of power transmitting circuits at the LT configured to transmit power over a plurality of conducting pairs; and

a power receiving circuit at the NT configured to receive power from any two or more selected conducting pairs of the plurality of conducting pairs, wherein the power receiving circuits is configured to provide aggregated power from the two or more conducting pairs to the end station.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the a first conducting pair and a second conducting pair of the two or more conducting pairs are either adjacent or non-adjacent to one another.

10. The system of claim 8 further comprising a microcontroller coupled to the plurality of power transmitting circuits, the microcontroller is configured to receive a current sense signal from the power receiving circuits.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein the power receiving circuit further comprises one or more current limiters operable to limit the power from the two or more conducting pairs to provide power demand information of the end station to the microcontroller.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein the power receiving circuit further comprises one or more current limiters operable to allow full demand power from the two or more conducting pairs to be provided to the end station upon power demand information of the end station being considered satisfactory by the microcontroller.

13. The system of claim 8 wherein the power receiving circuit further comprises one or more rectifiers configured to receive AC power transmitted over the first and second conducting pairs and configured to rectify the AC power into direct current (DC) power.

14. A method of providing power from a line termination (LT) to an electronic device at a network termination (NT), the method comprising:

coupling the electronic device to any two or more conducting pairs of a plurality of conducting pairs from the LT,

providing a limited amount of power to the electronic device through the any two or more conducting pairs; and

determining whether to provide full power to the electronic device by sensing a current demand of the electronic device.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein a first conducting pair and a second conducting pair of the any two or more conducting pairs of the plurality are either adjacent or non-adjacent to one another.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising increasing power provided to the electronic device to a full power amount through the any two or more conducting pairs if the current demand of the electronic device does not exceed a maximum power carrying limit of the any two or more conducting pairs.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising terminating power provided to the electronic device if the current demand of the electronic device exceeds the maximum current carrying limit of the any two or more conducting pairs.

18. The method of claim 14 further comprising terminating power provided to the electronic device if the current demand of the electronic device would require more power than the system is capable of providing.

19. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

rectifying AC power transmitted over the any two or more conducting pairs;

aggregating the first and second rectified powers; and

supplying the aggregated power to the electronic device.

20. A system for providing power from a line termination (LT) to an end station at a network termination (NT), the system comprising:

means for transmitting power through a plurality of conducting pairs, the means for transmitting at the LT; and

means for receiving power from any two or more conducting pairs of the plurality of conducting pairs, the means for receiving power coupled to the end station, wherein the means for receiving power is configured to provide aggregated power from the two or more conducting pairs to the end station.