Multi-pair aggregate power distribution

• US 7,545,055 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2006
• Issued: 06/09/2009
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): Paladini; Albert W
• Assistant Examiner(s): KAPLAN, HAL IRA
• Application Number:
  US11/390,802
• Publication Number:
  US 20060163949A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,170 Days
• Field of Search: 307/19, 307/52, 307/29, 307/62, 307/147
• US Class Current: 307/62
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/10 Parallel operation of dc sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1308 Power supply

Abstract

Apparatus and method for transmitting over non-adjacent multiple conducting pairs and aggregating powers from the conducting pairs to power remote electronic devices at an end station include, at a line termination (LT), a plurality of power transmitting circuits configured to transmit power over the multiple conducting pairs, and a microcontroller coupled to the plurality of power transmitting circuits and configured to receive a current sense signal from a power receiving circuit at the remote electronic device, and further include, at a network termination (NT), one or more current limiters coupled to multiple conducting pairs and operable to limit the power from the conducting pairs based on power demand information of the end station, and a load controller coupled to the one or more current limiters and configured to selectively activate the one or more current limiters based on a determination by the microcontroller that the end station is allowed to receive a full power demand, the determination being a function of a demand current profile of the end station.

Claims

1. 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;

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 circuit is configured to provide aggregated power from the two or more conducting pairs to the end station;

a microcontroller at the LT coupled to the plurality of power transmitting circuits, wherein the microcontroller is configured to receive a current sense signal from the power receiving circuit;

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 based on power demand information of the end station; and

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 a determination by the microcontroller that the end station is allowed to receive a full power demand, said determination being a function of a demand current profile of the end station.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein a first conducting pair and a second conducting pair of the two or more conducting pairs are non-adjacent to one another.

3. The system of claim 1 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.