Dynamically configurable power-over-ethernet apparatus and method
First Claim
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1. An apparatus comprising:
- one or more dual-role Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) port units, each PoE port unit being selectively configurable to switch between (i) a PoE Power Source Equipment (PSE) port unit to provide power to a device connected to the PoE port unit, and (ii) a PoE Powered Device (PD) port unit to sink power from the connected device, wherein each PoE port unit includes;
a port to mate with a network cable;
a bi-directional power converter to selectively convert power in either a first direction to provide converted power to the port when the PoE port unit is configured to operate as the PSE port unit, or in a second direction to convert power received from the port when the PoE port unit is configured to operate as the PD port unit; and
a dual-role PoE controller to selectively perform either PSE operations or PD operations, and, if the controller is required to reverse roles thereof, execute, in accordance with a Link Layer Data Protocol (LLDP), a PoE role-reversal protocol with a connected device in which the controller is configured to;
send a role-reversal approval request to the connected device;
responsive to sending the role-reversal approval request, start a role-change timer;
if a role-reversal approval is received from the connected device before the role-change timer expires, reverse the role of the dual-role PoE controller; and
if an indication of a role-reversal of the connected device is received from the connected device, send a role reversal complete notification to the connected device.
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Abstract
One or more dual-role Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) port units are each selectively configurable to operate as either (i) a PoE Power Source Equipment (PSE) port unit to provide power to a device connected to the PoE port unit, or (ii) a PoE Powered Device (PD) port unit to sink power from the connected device. Each PoE port unit includes a network port, and a bi-directional power converter to selectively convert power in either (i) a first direction and to provide converted power to the network port when the PoE port unit operates as the PSE port unit, or (ii) in a second direction to convert power received from the network port when the PoE port unit operates as the PD port unit.
70 Citations
23 Claims
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1. An apparatus comprising:
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one or more dual-role Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) port units, each PoE port unit being selectively configurable to switch between (i) a PoE Power Source Equipment (PSE) port unit to provide power to a device connected to the PoE port unit, and (ii) a PoE Powered Device (PD) port unit to sink power from the connected device, wherein each PoE port unit includes; a port to mate with a network cable; a bi-directional power converter to selectively convert power in either a first direction to provide converted power to the port when the PoE port unit is configured to operate as the PSE port unit, or in a second direction to convert power received from the port when the PoE port unit is configured to operate as the PD port unit; and a dual-role PoE controller to selectively perform either PSE operations or PD operations, and, if the controller is required to reverse roles thereof, execute, in accordance with a Link Layer Data Protocol (LLDP), a PoE role-reversal protocol with a connected device in which the controller is configured to; send a role-reversal approval request to the connected device; responsive to sending the role-reversal approval request, start a role-change timer; if a role-reversal approval is received from the connected device before the role-change timer expires, reverse the role of the dual-role PoE controller; and if an indication of a role-reversal of the connected device is received from the connected device, send a role reversal complete notification to the connected device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method comprising:
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at a power management controller that controls power flow to or from endpoint devices in a network thereof that are selectively configurable to either sink or source power through respective Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) links that connect the endpoint devices to one or more respective network devices configured to communicate with the power management controller, each PoE link terminating at opposite ends thereof in a PoE network port unit of a corresponding network device and a PoE endpoint port unit of a corresponding endpoint device, each of the PoE network port units and endpoint port units being selectively configurable to support bi-directional power flow over the PoE link to or from the corresponding endpoint device, respectively; determining for each of the endpoint devices power-related information, including a power consumption, an energy reserve, a power need, and a power production, if any; determining a preferred power flow direction at each of the endpoint devices based on the determined power-related information for that endpoint device; controlling the power flow direction at each of the endpoint devices based on the power-related information and the preferred power flow direction determined for that endpoint device; and execute, in accordance with a Link Layer Data Protocol (LLDP), a PoE role-reversal protocol with at least one endpoint device among the endpoint devices, over the PoE link that connects the at least one endpoint device to a respective network device, to selectively configure the PoE endpoint port unit of the at least one endpoint device to reverse the power flow over the PoE link, the PoE role-reversal protocol including; sending a role-reversal approval request to the at least one endpoint device; responsive to the sending, starting a role-change timer; if a role-reversal approval is received from the at least one endpoint device before the role-change timer expires, reversing the role of the PoE endpoint port unit in the at least one endpoint device; and if an indication of a role-reversal of the at least one endpoint device is received from the at lease one endpoint device, sending a role reversal complete notification to the at least one endpoint device. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15)
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16. An apparatus comprising:
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multiple dual-role Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) network port units, each PoE port unit being selectively configurable to switch between (i) a PoE Power Source Equipment (PSE) port unit to provide power to a device connected to the PoE port unit, and (ii) a PoE Powered Device (PD) port unit to sink power from the device connected to the PoE port unit, each PoE port unit including a network port to mate with a network cable, and a bi-directional power converter to selectively convert power in either a first direction to provide converted power to the network port when the PoE port unit is configured to operate as the PSE port unit, or in a second direction to convert power received from the network port when the PoE port unit is configured to operate as the PoE PD port unit; and an electrically conductive power summing bus; wherein each of the bi-directional power converters is connected between the electrically conductive summing bus and the respective network port so as to receive power from the power summing bus and provide power to the respective network port when the bi-directional power converter is selectively configured to convert power in the first direction, and receive power from the respective network port and provide converted power to the electrically conductive power summing bus when the power converter is selectively configured to convert power in the second direction; and a controller to selectively configure each PoE port unit to operate as either the PoE PSE port unit or the PoE PD port unit independently of other ones of the multiple PoE network ports, wherein the controller is further configured to configure first and second ones of the PoE port units to operate, respectively, to receive power from and to provide power to the electrically conductive summing bus at the same time. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19)
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20. A non-transitory computer readable storage media encoded with instructions that, when executed by a processor that controls power flow to or from endpoint devices in a network thereof that are selectively configurable to either sink or source power through respective Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) links that connect the endpoint devices to one or more respective network devices configured to communicate with the power management controller, each PoE link terminating at opposite ends thereof in a PoE network port unit of a corresponding network device and a PoE endpoint port unit of a corresponding endpoint device, each of the PoE network port units and endpoint port units being selectively configurable to support bi-directional power flow over the corresponding PoE link to or from the endpoint device, respectively, cause the processor to:
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determine for each endpoint device power-related information, including a power consumption, a power need, and a power production, if any; determine a preferred power flow direction at each endpoint device based on the determined power-related information for that endpoint device; control the power flow direction at each of the endpoint devices based on the power-related information and the preferred power flow direction determined for that endpoint device; and execute, in accordance with a Link Layer Data Protocol (LLDP), a PoE role-reversal protocol with at least one endpoint device among the endpoint devices, over the PoE link that connects the at least one endpoint device to the respective network device, to selectively configure the PoE endpoint port unit of the at least one endpoint device to reverse the power flow over the PoE link, wherein the instructions to cause the processor to execute include instructions to cause the processor to; send a role-reversal approval request to the at least one endpoint device; responsive to the sending of the role-reversal approval request, start a role-change timer; if a role-reversal approval is received from the at least one endpoint device before the role-change-timer expires, reverse the role of the PoE endpoint port unit in the at least one endpoint device; and if an indication of a role-reversal of the at least one endpoint device is received from the endpoint device, send a role reversal complete notification to the at least one endpoint device. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23)
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Specification