POWERED PATCH PANEL

• US 20080214140A1
• Filed: 09/27/2006
• Published: 09/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panduit Corporation
• Original Assignee: Panduit Corporation
• Inventors: Nordin, Ronald A., Caveney, Jack E., Leshin, Brian D., Jacks, Steven A., Beran, Donald
• Granted Patent: US 7,978,845 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/402
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/00 Current supply arrangements for telephone systems for selecting-equipment H04Q1/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2254 in networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 1/03 Power distribution arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 1/136 having patch field management or physical layer management arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2201/802 in data transmission systems

Abstract

A powered patch panel (PPP) is disclosed that inserts power in mid-span regions of a network and provides fault-tolerance at the power supply level and the power-plane level. Information such as physical location, port status and policy enforcement information may be locally stored and utilized by a processor of the PPP to achieve network control and monitoring. A network management system and/or element management system may be provided to interface with processors of PPPs to achieve network monitoring, control and policy enforcement goals.

Claims

1. A powered patch panel comprising:

a memory that stores a control parameter;

a plurality of ports, each port configured to support a network communication connection; and

a processor that configures at least one of the plurality of ports to selectively supply power to a powered device over the network communication connection based on the control parameter.

2. The powered patch panel of claim 1, wherein the control parameter includes a current limit threshold, and the processor is configured to set a current limit for at least one of the plurality of ports based on the current limit threshold.

3. The powered patch panel of claim 1, further comprising:

a first power-plane and a second power-plane, the first and second power-planes being separately powered;

a common circuit;

a port circuit, the first power-plane configured to provide power to the common circuit and the second power-plane configured to provide power to the port circuit; and

a register receiving power from the second power-plane, the common circuit communicating with the port circuit via a power isolator.

4. The powered patch panel of claim 1, further comprising a first power input port and a second power input port, power from the first power input port being combined with power from the second power input port into a single power source.

5. The powered patch panel of claim 4, wherein:

the first power input port comprises a positive terminal and a negative terminal;

the second power input port comprises a positive terminal and a negative terminal;

a first diode connects to either the positive or the negative terminal of the first power input port and a second diode connects to the corresponding terminal of the second power input port;

the first and second diodes connect to a first node, and the positive or negative terminal of the first and second power input ports that are not connected to one of the first and second diodes is connected to a second node; and

an in-line current manager connects to the first and second nodes to supply power to connected powered devices.

6. The powered patch panel of claim 5, further comprising an analog-to-digital converter configured to monitor voltages of the first and second power input ports and the first and second nodes, wherein the processor is configured to determine a status of power supplied to the first and second power input ports based on the voltages monitored by the analog-to-digital converter.

7. The powered patch panel of claim 5, wherein the in-line current manager is connected to independent power planes serving different portions of the powered patch panel through independent fuses, and the in-line current manager is connected to the connected powered devices through one of the fuses.

8. The powered patch panel of claim 1, further comprising:

a legacy detection support circuit; and

a switch having a first position and a second position,

wherein the legacy detection support circuit is configured to;

determine a characteristic of the powered device connected to the port based on a first current and a second current, and

measure the first current through the switch in the first position when a first test voltage is applied to the switch and measure the second current through the switch in the second position when a second test voltage is applied to the switch.

9. The powered patch panel of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of LEDs associated with the ports, at least one of the LEDs indicating at least one of a status of the port or a value of a stored control parameter.

10. The powered patch panel of claim 1, further comprising a common circuit and a port circuit configured to receive power from separate and isolated power planes, wherein the port circuit comprises a current manager, a power-over-Ethernet (PoE) manager, and an LED manager, each of the current manager, the PoE manager, and the LED manager comprising a state machine and registers, the state machine and registers in communication with the processor through at least one of an optical isolator or a capacitive isolator.

11. A powered patch panel comprising:

a plurality of ports, each port configured to support a network communication connection;

means for selectively supplying power through a port to a powered device over a network communication connection based on a control parameter stored in the powered patch panel;

means for setting a current limit threshold for the port;

means for providing power to the powered patch panel using redundant power supplies;

means for providing power fault tolerance between a common circuit and a port circuit;

means for determining a status of the redundant power supplies; and

means for controlling LEDs associated with the plurality of ports.

12. The powered patch panel of claim 11, wherein the means for providing power fault tolerance between a common circuit and a port circuit includes at least one of:

an optical isolator on a signal line between the common circuit and the port circuit;

an capacitive isolator on a signal line between the common circuit and the port circuit;

a first power-plane providing power to the common circuit and a second power-plane supplying power to the port circuit;

a first power-plane providing power to the common circuit and a second power-plane supplying power to the port circuit, wherein the first power-plane is connected to the means for providing power via a first fuse and the second power-plane is connected to the means for providing power via a second fuse;

a memory in the common circuit that stores control parameters and allows the common circuit to operate despite failure of the port circuit;

or

a memory in the port circuit that stores control parameters and allows the port circuit to operate despite failure of the common circuit.

13. A powered patch panel comprising:

a plurality of ports, each port configured to support a network communication connection;

a common circuit that stores control parameters and controls the powered patch panel based upon the control parameters;

a port circuit that supplies power to a powered device connected to one of the ports over a network communication connection based on one or more of the control parameters;

a common circuit power-plane that provides power to the common circuit;

a port circuit power-plane that provides power to the port circuit;

a diode circuit that receives power from a power supply;

an in-line current manager that receives power from the diode circuit and provides power to the common circuit power-plane and the port circuit power-plane;

an analog-to-digital converter that monitors power received from the diode circuit and power output by the in-line current manager;

a first optical coupler that receives from the analog-to-digital converter a digital representation of at least one of a voltage received by the diode circuit from the first power supply, a voltage received by the diode circuit from the second power supply, a voltage output from the in-line current manager, or a current output from the in-line current manager and relays the digital representation to the common circuit; and

a second optical coupler that relays the control parameters to the port circuit from the common circuit.

14. The powered patch panel of claim 13, wherein the port circuit further comprises:

a current manager that limits current flow to the powered device over the network communication connection based on a value set in a register and received from the common circuit;

a PoE manager that monitors a port to detect the presence and a characteristic of a powered device connected to the port;

an LED manager that controls an LED drive circuit to illuminate a port LED based on a value in a register and received from the common circuit; and

a legacy support manager that determines whether a powered device connected to a port is a first type of PoE device or a second type of PoE device.

15. The powered patch panel of claim 13, wherein the common circuit further comprises:

a memory that stores the control parameters;

an Ethernet switch that supports communication between the common circuit and an Ethernet network management port; and

a processor that receives the control parameters via the Ethernet network management port and instructs the memory to store the control parameters.

16. The powered patch panel of claim 15, wherein the Ethernet switch within the common circuit supports two Ethernet network management ports that support formation of a daisy-chain to connect multiple powered patch panels onto a single Ethernet network connection.

17. The powered patch panel of claim 13, further comprising a capacitive coupler that relays information from the legacy support manager to a processor in the common circuit, the information pertaining to the powered device connected to the port.

18. The powered patch panel of claim 13, further comprising:

a first fuse that connects the in-line current manager to the port circuit power-plane; and

a second fuse that connects the in-line current manager to the common circuit power-plane.