REDUNDANT POWER AND DATA IN A WIRED DATA TELECOMMUNICATIONS NETWORK

• US 20110004779A1
• Filed: 09/03/2010
• Published: 01/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cafiero, Luca, Karam, Roger A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,549,331 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/340
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/22 using redundant apparatus to increase reliability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/10 Current supply arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications

Abstract

Redundancy of data and/or inline power in a wired data telecommunications network from a pair of network devices via a selection device is provided by communicating redundant signals with each of the pair of network devices and coupling ports of the first network device and corresponding ports of the second network device to paired inputs of the selection device. The selection device operates: 1) under the control of the pair of network devices, one acting as master and one as slave, the master selecting (for each port or for all ports) one of the two paired inputs and causing the selection device to communicate data and/or inline power via a third port of the selection device to a third network device receiving data connectivity and/or inline power from the selection device; or 2) to route two redundant signals to a third network device which then selects one for use.

Claims

1-122. -122. (canceled)

122. A powered device coupled to receive inline power, comprising:

a threshold detection circuit monitoring the inline power voltage;

a switch controlled by the threshold detection circuit; and

a load circuit coupled through the switch to receive power when the switch is closed;

the threshold detection circuit arranged to close the switch when the inline power voltage is within a first range of voltage levels and to open the switch when the inline power voltage exceeds said first range of voltage levels.

123. The powered device of claim 122, wherein:

the first range of voltage levels is less than about 5 volts DC.

124. The powered device of claim 123, wherein:

the load circuit comprises circuitry for forward-biasing signal diodes.

125-127. -127. (canceled)

128. A power sourcing equipment device (PSE), comprising:

means for detecting a first mode of operation of a powered device (PD) identity network, the identity network operating in the first mode to sink DC current when it is supplied with less than about 5 VDC of inline power; and

means for detecting a second mode of operation of the PD identity network, the identity network operating in the second mode to act like a fixed resistance that is much higher than 25 k ohms when it is supplied with more than about 5 VDC of inline power.

129. The device of claim 128, further comprising:

means for detecting an IEEE 802.3af inline power identity network.

130. A device, comprising:

means for operating in a first mode of operation as a powered device (PD) accepting inline power from a power sourcing equipment (PSE) device; and

means for operating in a second mode of operation as a PSE device, providing inline power to a PD;

wherein the device, when operating in said first mode of operation adapted to extract inline power from two pairs of twisted-pair conductors through a high-impedance AC (alternating current) coupling and when in said second mode of operation adapted to inject inline power to the two pairs of conductors through the high-impedance AC coupling.

131. A method for communicating among a first network device, a second network device and a third network device in a network segment, the segment comprising a first network device having a first port, a second network device having a first port and a third network device having a first port, the first port of the first network device coupled to a first interface of a first port of a redundancy selection device, the first port of the second network device coupled to a second interface of the first port of the redundancy selection device, and the first port of the third network device coupled to a third interface of the first port of the redundancy selection device, the method comprising:

providing inline power and data from the first interface to the third interface;

providing attenuated inline power and data to the second interface;

using the inline power provided over the first interface to forward-bias signal diodes in the conductors coupling the first and third interfaces; and

using attenuated inline power provided over the first interface to forward-bias signal diodes in the conductors coupling the first and second interfaces.