System for power delivery over data communication cabling infrastructure
First Claim
1. A local area network comprising:
- a plurality of local area network nodes;
an Ethernet switch assembly complying with the IEEE 802.3 standard; and
, communication cabling connecting said plurality of nodes to said switch assembly for providing data communication;
said Ethernet switch assembly comprising;
line interface circuitry coupling power into the communication cabling, over pairs used for Ethernet communications, substantially without interfering with data communication;
a controller governing the supply of power to at least some of the plurality of local area network nodes via the communication cabling; and
, current limiting circuitry connected to the line interface circuitry and controlling current delivered by the line interface circuitry into the communication cabling, wherein said Ethernet switch assembly is operative to provide at least some power to at least sonic of said plurality of nodes via said communication cabling, said current limiting circuitry being operative to provide a current limit level for each node.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system for generating, delivering and distributing electrical power to network elements over a data communication network infrastructure within a building, campus or enterprise. Consolidating power distribution and data communications over a single network simplifies and reduces the cost of network element installation and provides a means of supplying uninterrupted or backup power to critical network devices in the event of a power failure. The invention includes power/data combiners that combine a data communication signal with a low frequency power signal. The combined signal is transported over the LAN infrastructure where a power/data splitter extracts the data signal and the power signal and generates two separate outputs. The power over LAN system of the present invention operates with high bandwidth data communication networks, i.e., 10 Mbps, 100 Mbps, 1000 Mbps. The electrical power distributed over the LAN can be delivered as DC or low frequency AC voltages which in either case will not interfere with data communications signals. The electrical power delivered over data communications cable can be transmitted using one or more spare pairs in the cable or over the receive and transmit wires.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. A local area network comprising:
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a plurality of local area network nodes;
an Ethernet switch assembly complying with the IEEE 802.3 standard; and
,communication cabling connecting said plurality of nodes to said switch assembly for providing data communication;
said Ethernet switch assembly comprising;
line interface circuitry coupling power into the communication cabling, over pairs used for Ethernet communications, substantially without interfering with data communication;
a controller governing the supply of power to at least some of the plurality of local area network nodes via the communication cabling; and
,current limiting circuitry connected to the line interface circuitry and controlling current delivered by the line interface circuitry into the communication cabling, wherein said Ethernet switch assembly is operative to provide at least some power to at least sonic of said plurality of nodes via said communication cabling, said current limiting circuitry being operative to provide a current limit level for each node. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. An Ethernet switch assembly comprising:
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line interface circuitry receiving a plurality of data connections and an electrical power signal, said line interface circuitry coupling power from said electrical power signal into attached communication cabling for transmission to a plurality of nodes substantially without interfering with data communication between the plurality of nodes and said plurality of data connections;
a controller governing the supply of power being coupled by said line interface circuitry for transmission to at least some of the plurality of nodes; and
current limiting circuitry connected to the line interface circuitry and controlling current coupled by said line interface circuitry for transmission to at some of the plurality of nodes, said current limiting circuitry being operative to provide a current limit for each of the plurality of nodes.
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Specification