CN115913799A - Network unit - Google Patents

Abstract

A network element, comprising: a plurality of power over Ethernet interfaces; an Ethernet interface; a direct current power supply interface; and a network unit controller communicatively coupled to the ethernet interface and the plurality of power-over-ethernet interfaces and electrically coupled to the dc power interface, configured to route information between the ethernet interface and at least one PoE interface, the network unit powered by a dc power source via the dc power interface.

Description

Network unit

The application is a divisional application of an application with the name of 'Moles Limited' and the application date of 2017, 02, 15 and the application number of 201780024943.X and the name of invention 'system and method for controlling power over Ethernet'.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to power over ethernet (PoE) systems, and more particularly to controllers for bridging PoE systems with facility management systems.

Background

This section introduces aspects that may help to better understand the present invention. Accordingly, the statements of this section are to be read in this light and are not to be construed as admissions about what is prior art or what is not prior art.

Power over ethernet (PoE) is a wired ethernet Local Area Network (LAN) technology that allows the current used to run connected devices to be carried by a data cable rather than by a separate power line. PoE can describe a standardized or ad hoc system that transfers electrical power along with data over ethernet cabling (cabling). This allows a single cable to provide data connectivity and electrical power to devices such as wireless access points (wireless access points), IP cameras, and voice over internet protocol (VoIP) phones.

Disclosure of Invention

According to one aspect, systems and methods may provide a power-over-ethernet (PoE) controller, comprising: a PoE interface; an equipment interface; and a controller communicatively coupled to the PoE interface and the device interface. The controller may be configured to receive device control information via the PoE interface and generate control instructions for the device interface in response to the device control information.

According to another aspect, there is provided a network element comprising: a plurality of power over Ethernet interfaces; an Ethernet interface; a DC power supply interface; and a network unit controller communicatively coupled to the ethernet interface and the plurality of power-over-ethernet interfaces and electrically coupled to the dc power interface, configured to route information between the ethernet interface and at least one PoE interface, the network unit powered by a dc power source via the dc power interface.

Wherein the DC power supply comprises a low voltage power supply.

Wherein the low voltage power supply is between 42 and 57 volts.

Wherein the low voltage power supply is substantially at 48 volts.

The direct current power interface is electrically connected with a low-voltage DC power line.

Wherein the low voltage DC power line is electrically coupled to an AC to DC power supply unit.

Wherein the low voltage DC power line is electrically coupled to a DC to DC power supply unit.

Wherein the DC-to-DC power supply unit converts a high voltage DC power supply into a low voltage power supply.

Wherein the high voltage direct current power supply is approximately 600 volts.

The low-voltage DC power line is electrically connected with a junction box comprising an AC-DC converter.

The low-voltage direct-current power line is electrically connected with a junction box comprising a direct-current to direct-current converter, wherein the direct-current to direct-current converter converts a high-voltage direct-current power supply into a low-voltage power supply.

Other systems, methods, features and advantages will be, or will become, apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features and advantages be included within this description and be protected by the accompanying claims.

Drawings

The present invention is illustrated by way of example and is not limited by the accompanying figures, in which like references indicate similar elements.

Specific embodiments of the present invention are disclosed below with reference to the various drawings and figures. The written description and drawings are intended to enhance understanding. For example, the dimensions of some of the graphical elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements and well-known elements that are beneficial or even necessary to a commercially successful implementation may not be depicted so that the presentation of the embodiments is less obstructed and more clear.

The drawings and description are to be regarded as simple and clear as are effective in enabling those skilled in the art to make, use and best practice the invention in view of what is known in the art. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes may be made to the specific embodiments described below without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the specification and figures are to be regarded in an illustrative and exemplary sense rather than a restrictive or all-encompassing sense, and all such modifications to the specific embodiments described below are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example system architecture for a network of powered devices.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example interface of a controller.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an embodiment of an example lighting device in connection with a controller.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an embodiment of an example dispatcher (dispenser) interfacing with a controller.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an embodiment of an example shade panel (shade) interface with a controller.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an embodiment of an example sensor in connection with a controller.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an embodiment of an example holder (texture) interface with a controller.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an example communication logic of a controller.

Fig. 9 is a block diagram of an example relay logic (relay logic) between a server and a controller.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of an example power sharing logic via a controller.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of another example power sharing logic via a controller.

Fig. 12 is a block diagram of an example injector point (injector point) implementing a controller.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram of an example low pressure output injector point in which multiple outputs are daisy-chained (daisy-chained).

FIG. 14 is a block diagram of an example low pressure output injector point with multi-channel output.

Fig. 15 is a block diagram of an example architecture for a low voltage network.

Fig. 16 to 20 are block diagrams of various power providing scenarios (scenarios) for a low voltage network.

FIG. 21 is an example circuit board for the controller.

Detailed Description

The following detailed description describes exemplary embodiments and is not intended to be limited to the explicitly disclosed combinations. Thus, unless otherwise indicated, features disclosed herein may be combined together to form additional combinations not given for the sake of brevity.

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of an example system architecture 100 for a network of powered devices. In an example, the system architecture 100 may include a management layer 102, a communication/power layer 104, and a device layer 106. The communication/power layer 104 may include a PoE network 105, the PoE network 105 including, but not limited to, institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.3 networks (e.g., poE, universal PoE (UPoE), enhanced PoE (PoE plus) (PoE +) and Four-Pair (Four Pair) PoE (4 PPoE)), and/or limited application protocol (CoAP) type networks, transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP) type networks, and the like. Communication/power plane 104 may also include Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) for interacting with management plane 102 and the like.

Communication/power plane 104 connects management plane 102 with power-receiving side devices 108 located in device plane 106. The communication/power plane 104 can provide power and/or control for the devices 108. Example apparatus 108 may be divided into lighting units 110a-n (e.g., LED/fluorescent holders 110a, linear lights 110b, daisy-chained holders 110c, high wattage holders 110n, light modules, LED lighting engines, etc.), sensors 112a-n (e.g., wired sensors 112a and wireless sensors 112b, including but not limited to optical/light (light) sensors (e.g., ambient light, correlated Color Temperature (CCT), infrared (IR), etc.), environmental sensors (e.g., temperature, humidity, air quality, chemistry, etc.), motion/attitude sensors, inertial sensors, proximity (proximity) sensors, etc.), and/or actuators (actuators) 114a-n (e.g., motors 114a for controlling shutters 116, valves, relays, etc.). The daisy-chained multiple holders 110c and other daisy-chained multiple devices 108 are independently addressable by the controllers 118a-n so that the controllers 118a-n provide power and/or data to the designated multiple devices 108 without requiring the multiple devices 108 to access the internet. In some embodiments, the addresses may be stored in tables in the memory 164 within one or more of the controllers 118a-n. Other types of devices 108 that may be included in the device layer 106 that are powered and/or controlled by the controllers 118a-n include, but are not limited to, other types of lighting, display devices, motors, valves, actuators, relays, dispensers, sinks (sinks), faucets, shades (shade), mirrors, glasses, windows, wall panels (wall panels), wall controls, wall labels, wall switches, wall panels (wall doors), doors, lockers (lockers), communication devices, computers, solar panel assemblies, batteries, locking devices, smart plugs, smart phones, cameras, annunciators (beacons), sensors, and the like, as described in more detail below.

The device layer 106 also includes controllers 118a-n, the controllers 118a-n capable of converting or translating PoE network 105 protocols to local power, data distribution, and connection protocols to bridge the PoE network 105 with the device layer 106. For example, the controllers 118a-n provide for sending signals to/receiving signals from the devices 108, providing power to the devices 108, controlling power to the devices 108 and/or controlling operation of the devices 108, etc., as described in more detail below. In some embodiments, the controllers 118a-n perform gateway functions.

The controllers 118a-n may interface with the PoE network 105 via a plurality of ethernet ports 120 (e.g., a plurality of RJ45 connectors) and connect with the PoE network 105 via a plurality of ethernet cables 122 (e.g., class 3, class 5/5e, class 6 cables, etc.). In some examples, controllers 118a-n may control how power received from PoE network 105 is output to device 108 (e.g., depending on the type and/or amount of power) and/or ethernet or other high-level protocol is converted to a lower-level protocol for interface (interface) and control device 108 (e.g., RS232, RS485, CAN, BACnet, digital Addressable Lighting Interface (DALI), transfer of MOLEX, etc.). For ease of illustration, RS485 is referenced generally herein but implementations are not limited to RS485. The controllers 118a-n may also interface with other controllers 118a-n (e.g., in a daisy chain fashion).

In one example, the controllers 118a-n include an interface 124, the interface 124 for wired and/or wireless connection with the device 108 and/or other controllers 118a-n, as described in more detail below. In a wired embodiment, a wired harness 126 may be used to connect the controllers 118a-n to the device 108. In one example, the wired harness 126 includes four wires, e.g., one for each of voltage, ground, RS +, and RS-. Other configurations are also possible, for example, depending on the low-level protocol used. In addition to the devices 108, the controllers 118a-n may be connected via wired and/or wireless connections to other peripheral devices (peripherals) including the wall switch 128. The controllers 118a-n may control the devices 108, e.g., turn the devices 108 on/off, dim the lighting units 110a-n, control the glare shield 116, etc., based on signals received from the wall switch 108. In some examples, the controllers 118a-n may also be connected to an external power source 130 (e.g., 110V-277 VAC), as described in more detail below.

Control information may also be sent from management layer 102 to device 108 via PoE network 105 and controllers 118a-n for controlling device 108 and receiving status and/or sensor information from device 108. In some examples, management layer 102 includes a server/switch 132 for storing data, performing analytics, and sending and receiving control information and/or sensor information related to devices 108, among other things, as described in more detail below. The server/switch 132 may be connected via an ethernet network 121 to a user interface 134 (e.g., personal Computer (PC), laptop, smartphone, tablet, palm-top (PDA), etc.) for entering control information for controlling the device 108 and/or a display dashboard 136 associated with the operation of the device 108. Management layer 102 may also include a network switch 138 (e.g., a Catalyst switch or other network element controller manufactured by Cisco) coupled to server 132 and user interface 134 for outputting PoE protocol data and power to PoE network 105. The management layer 102 may also include: a wireless (WiFi) router 140 to support the provision of power and data communications over PoE network 105; and a remote interface 142, for example, for providing technical support for PoE network 105.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example interface 144 of the controllers 118a-n. In an example, the interface 144 of the controllers 118a-n may be connected to the device 108 and/or other controllers 118a-n via the wiring harness 126 to, for example, send/receive control information, sensor data, power, etc. between the controllers 118a-n and the device 108 and other controllers 118a-n. The interface 144 also includes a Physical (PHY) wire layer 146 (including a physical port for connection) to send/receive wire signals based on RS485 protocol, a Controller Area Network (CAN) protocol, a universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter (UART) protocol, a Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) protocol, etc., or other non-ethernet related protocols. Additionally or alternatively, the interface 144 may include a PHY wireless layer 148 to transmit/receive wireless signals to the device 108 (e.g., via controllers 118a-n optionally integrated into the device 108), including but not limited to bluetooth low energy (BTLE) protocol, zigBee protocol, enOcean protocol, IEEE802.11 (WiFi) protocol, etc. The interface 144 may also transmit power 150 to the device 108. Example devices 108 include, but are not limited to, LED lights, sensors, paper towel dispensers and other dispensers, valves, visors, mirrors/glass, wall panels including labels, controls and/or switches, wall panels, electronic lockers/doors, directional lighting, sun-following solar panels, etc., and/or any other device 108 described herein.

With additional reference to FIG. 21, to accommodate the translation of the controllers 118a-n from one protocol to another and other logic, the controllers 118a-n also include a Printed Circuit Board Assembly (PCBA) 160 and/or other types of electrical components. In some embodiments, PCBA 160 is sized and shaped to fit within device 108, e.g., via a circle, oval, rectangle, square, triangle, irregular shape, etc. PCBA 160 may comprise one board (board) or more than one board connected to each other and stacked on top of each other in some embodiments. It will be appreciated that where PCBA 160 is illustrated, it is illustrated by way of non-limiting example that additional components may be substituted for PCBA 160 within the scope of the present invention, including, but not limited to, circuit boards having a point-to-point architecture, application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), etc., such that circuitry and/or other electronic components can be embodied thereon. In some embodiments, a control circuit is located on PCBA 160.

The control circuitry may include, for example, one or more processors 160a and one or more memory devices 160b, e.g., in some embodiments the control circuitry is implemented as a microprocessor with memory. Memory device 160b may include one or more program memories (RAM memories), a cache memory, a Random Access Memory (RAM), a Read Only Memory (ROM), a flash memory, a hard disk drive, etc., and/or other types of memory. Memory 160b may store instructions (e.g., compiled executable program instructions, uncompiled program code, some combination thereof, etc.) that, when operated on (e.g., executed, translated, interpreted, etc.) by processor 160a, cause processor 160a to operate the translation, logic, and other processes described herein. For example, the processor 160a may convert Ethernet-based protocol signals received via the Ethernet physical layer (Ethernet PHY) 160c to non-Ethernet-based protocol signals and vice versa, e.g., to provide communication between the server 132 and the lights 110a-n or other devices 108 and sensors 112 a-n. PCBA 160 may also include sensor 160d, which may be the same as or different from sensors 112 a-n. Multiple sensor types and/or multiple sensors 160d may be included on PCBA 160. The PCBA 160 may also include a power converter 160e, for example, for converting 48V DC power from the PoE input to 5V DC, 3.3V DC, etc., to provide power to the processor 160a, ethernet PHY 160c, etc. The controller 118 may also deliver power to the device 108, for example, via an RS485 input/output (I/O) 160 f. Additional or alternative components may be included on the PCBA 160, including but not limited to an on-board analog-to-digital converter and/or other circuitry that may be configured to convert analog signals to digital signals (e.g., for processing). PCBA 160 may also include digital conditioning (conditioning) circuitry for processing signals and the like.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an embodiment of an example lighting device in connection with controllers 118a-n. For example, the controller 118n may be connected to the LED lighting unit 110c with the embedded sensor 112a via a wired harness 126 to control the LED lighting unit 110c and receive sensor information from the sensor 112 a. In some embodiments, the controller 118a may control the LED lighting unit 110c locally based on sensor information received from the sensor 112a and/or communicate the sensor information to a remote server 132. Additionally or alternatively, the controller 118n may be connected with the low power holder 222 and the remote sensor unit 112n via the wired harness 126. Other embodiments are possible, such as a remote sensor connected to the LED lighting unit 110c and the sensor embedded in the low power holder 222.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an embodiment of an example of the connection of the distributors 230a-n to the controller 118 a. In one example, the controller 118a is connected to the motors of the paper towel dispensers 230a-n to control power to the paper towel dispensers 230a-n based on available power and signals received from the motion sensors 112a-n of the paper towel dispensers 230 a-n. Other dispensers 230a-n include, but are not limited to, soap, towels, lotion, air, hot air, perfume, voice, verbal instructions, information, communications or warnings from others.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an embodiment of an example of the connection of the shutter plates 232a-n to the controller 118 a. The shutter plates 232a-n may be coupled to the controller 118a to receive instructions from the controller 118a, e.g., when open, closed, etc. The controller 118a may be integrated into the light shield 232a-n and/or coupled to the light shield 232a-n. In an example, the controller 118a may control operation of the motors of the shutter plates 232a-n to move the shutter plates 232a-n, e.g., based on input from the sensor 112a, instructions from the server 132, and/or instructions from the controller 118a, etc. The shutter plates 232a-n may be independently addressable, such as with a MAC, so that the controller 118a may control one or more of the shutter plates 232a-n connected to the controller 118 a. In some examples, the controller 118a may control the shutter plates 232a-n, e.g., wirelessly or via a wired harness 126, based on information from an ambient light sensor 112a connected to the controller 118 a. The controllers 118a-n allow the sensor 112a and any other sensors described herein to be hot-swappable (hot-swappad) added and removed from the controllers 118a-n.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an embodiment of an example sensor 112a-n in connection with a controller 118 a. The sensors 112a-n may be connected with the controller 118a to provide one or more of information regarding humidity, acceleration, proximity, magnetism, pressure, motion, flow, CO/CO2, CCT, red/green/blue (RGB) light, ambient light, active or Passive Infrared (PIR), visual information (e.g., from a camera), audio information (e.g., from a microphone), temperature, etc. In response to the controller 118a receiving data transmitted by one or more of the sensors 112a-n, the controller 118a may provide one or more of a visual signal, an audio signal, and the like.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an embodiment of an example holder 240 in connection with a controller 118 a. In some examples, the holder 240 includes the controller 118a built therein, but the controller 118a may be separate from the holder 240 and connected with the holder 240. The holder 240 may also include a light source 242 (e.g., an LED or fluorescent light). In some implementations, the holder 240 is a concave reflective trough (troffer). The light source 242 and the sensor 112a are connected to the controller 118 a. The controller 118a may trigger the light source 242 based on information from the sensor 112 a.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an example communication logic 154 for the controllers 118a-n. For ease of explanation, in one example, the controller 118a receives data reported by the sensor 112a (156) (e.g., a motion detector that detects motion or lack thereof over a determined time). The sensor 112a may be integrated into the lamp 110a or provided separately from the lamp 110 a. Additionally, the controllers 118a-n may be integrated into the lamp 110a or separate from the lamp 110 a. The controller 118a may process data received from the sensor 112a, as well as any other sensors, to decide what action to do based on the data (158).

The controller 118a may send the data received from the sensor 112a to the server 132. Before sending the data to the server 132, the controller 118a may translate data from one protocol (e.g., RS 485) used by the controller 118a to communicate with the sensor 112a to another protocol (e.g., an IEEE 802.3 ethernet protocol) used to communicate data with the server 132. Other protocols may also be used. The controllers 128a-n may also translate information received via the IEEE 802.3 Ethernet protocol to the RS485 protocol or other local protocol (local protocol). The controller 118a may directly control the light 110a by sending control information to the light 110a based on data received from the sensor 112a and processed by the controller 118a (164), e.g., turning the light 110a on/off, dimming the light, flashing the light, having the light act as an emergency indicator, etc., without requiring input from the server 132. The controller 118a may also send data and/or control information to the other controllers 118n (166), which the other controllers 118n (166) may use to control the lamps 110n and any other devices connected to the controllers 118n (160). By using the controllers 118a-n to process data and/or control the devices 108, fewer ethernet switches are required to control more than one lamp 110a-n or other device 108 than would normally be required, rather than requiring, for example, one switch port per device 108. Additionally or alternatively, the controllers 118a-n may monitor the availability of communications with the server 132 and if communications with the server 132 are lost, one of the controllers 118a-n may control the other controllers 118a-n as a master (master).

Fig. 9 is a block diagram of an example relay logic 170 between server 132 and controllers 118a-n. The sensor 112a reports data to the controller 118a (172). The controller 118a processes the data (174). In this example, the controller 118a determines to forward the data to the server 132 for further processing (176). The controller 118a receives data from the sensor 112a via a local protocol (e.g., RS 485) and translates the data into a wide-area protocol (e.g., IEEE 802.3 PoE) for transmission to the server 132. As the server 132 processes the data, the controller 118a receives control instructions from the server 132 (178). The controller 118a controls the lamp 110a and any other devices connected with the controller 118a based on the control information received from the server 132. The controller 118a may translate the control information into a local protocol for transmission to the lamp 110a (e.g., via the wiring harness 126). The server 132 may also send control information to other controllers 118a-n, including the controller 118n, based on the processed sensor data. The controller 118n may control the lamp 110n and any other devices connected to the controller 118n based on the control information. By using the controllers 118a-n, controlling more than one lamp 110a-n or other device 108 can require fewer ethernet switches than would otherwise be required.

Fig. 10 and 11 are block diagrams of an example power sharing logic via controllers 118a-n. In fig. 10, network switch 138 includes two ports 186a, 186b, while fig. 11 is an example of a network switch 138 having one port 186 a. For ease of explanation, in one example, in fig. 10, controller 118a connects two devices 108 with port 186a and controller 118b connects two devices 108 with port 186 b. The ports 186a, 186b each allow up to 60W of power, e.g., as determined by the standard, and each device 108 uses (consume) 30W. In this example, the controllers 118a, 118b may determine to deliver power to each device 108 without placing any device 108 in a standby mode based on the available power not exceeding the maximum required power.

In the example of fig. 11, the controller 118a allows more devices 108 to connect with the controller 118a than devices 108 that are otherwise connected to the controller 118a (e.g., based on standards, safety laboratory (UL) limits, etc.). For example, the power requirements of the plurality of devices 108 connected to the controller 118a may exceed a power limit determined by a standard. For example, port 186a of switch 138 provides a maximum 60W output under the standard and controller 118a is daisy-chained with four devices 108, each device 108 requiring 30W peak power. In an example, the controller 118a may cause the plurality of devices 108 to share the available power by communicating the power allocation threshold from the device 108 to the device 108. For example, the controller 118a places multiple devices 108 in a power standby state until a device 108 requests power from the controller 118 a. If power can be allocated for the device 108, the controller 118a authorizes the device 108 to cause the request to exit the standby mode and use power, otherwise the device 108 remains in standby. The controller 118a can determine when to provide power to the device 108 and/or the device 108 can request power from the controller 118a when needed. The controller 118a may determine which devices 108 are not in standby but are not using power for the longest time and place those devices 108 in standby mode. This allows any number of devices 108 to be connected to the controller 118a, where the controller 118a allows a limited number of devices 108 to have their full (full) power required at any time. For example, not all of the shutter plates 116, 232a-n need to be triggered simultaneously. Some of the shutter plates may wait until the controller 118a authorizes use of power. In another example, some devices 108 may only need to be used sparingly (sparingly) at full power. For example, the controller 118a may instruct a less active paper towel dispenser to remain in standby mode until needed while authorizing a more active paper towel dispenser to receive power. Depending on the duration of the activation period, a user may not even notice that device 108 is in standby mode. By reducing the number of ports 186a and/or the number of controllers 118a-n required per device 108, the controller 118a can provide a reduction in installation costs, including but not limited to reducing the number of ports 186a, reducing the number of switches 138, reducing the number of wires, requiring less storage space for the switches 138, lower heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) loads, and the like. For example, a PoE connection is not required for each device 108.

Fig. 12 is a block diagram of an example injector site 190 integrated and/or implemented with the controller 118 a. The injector point 190 includes an AC-DC constant voltage power supply 192 connected to the controller 118a to provide power options for the power distribution point 190 other than those commonly available for IEEE 802.3 based PoE protocols (e.g., 12.5W PoE, 25W PoE + and 51W UPoE, etc.). The power source 192 and the controller 118a may be housed in the same housing 194, or the controller 118a may be housed separately. The power supply 192 receives an AC input 202 (e.g., 110V/277V or other voltage) via the plug 196 and outputs a constant 150W-250W, 48V-56V voltage to the plug 198 for powering the device 108. Other power and voltage values may be used according to an embodiment. The controller 118a may receive data and power via the ethernet plug 200 (e.g., housing an RJ45 connector). The controller 118a converts the data to another protocol (e.g., RS232, RS485, CAN, BACnet, digital Addressable Lighting Interface (DALI), transit, etc.) and sends the converted data to the plug 198 for output of the data via the plug 198.

Fig. 13 is a block diagram of an example low pressure output injector point 190 in which multiple devices 108 are daisy chained together. In one example, the plurality of devices 108 includes a plurality of low voltage LED devices. In some embodiments, each device 108 includes a controller 118a-n integrated or connected to but in a housing (enclosure) separate from the device 108. The plurality of devices 108 may be connected together in a daisy-chain connection with a plurality of connectors 127 via a plurality of wiring harnesses 126. Multiple devices 108 may also be connected to the injector site 190 via the harness 126. The daisy-chained devices 108 may be individually addressed (e.g., using a MAC address) for individual and/or combined control of the devices 108 by a master controller 118a-n. As multiple devices 108 are added and removed from the controllers 118a-n, the controllers 118a-n may update a list of the multiple devices 108 connected to the controllers 118a-n.

Fig. 14 is a block diagram of another example low pressure based injector point 190. In some examples, the injector point 190 may provide outputs 210a-n of multiple channels, e.g., four channels, each channel having a sub-address. Each of the outputs 210a-N may be connected to a device 108 (e.g., a low voltage device), and the low voltage devices and other low voltage devices 1-N may be daisy chained across multiple lanes.

Some advantages of the injector point 190 of fig. 12-14 include, but are not limited to: the ability to convert auxiliary power from the AC line for use by the controller 118a, to convert the ethernet protocol to a low level protocol, to transmit DC power and data to multiple devices 108 via a single or multiple inputs, to isolate AC auxiliary inputs from PoE power inputs, to provide power management and/or emergency lighting schemes, to provide network upgrades, to be able to serve as a zone injector point (zone), to provide maximum power compliant with IEEE 802.3 but not limited to 60W or other watts, to not require the devices 108 to communicate via an ethernet-based protocol, to provide power and control for various groups of devices (e.g., daisy-chained lights, servers, actuators), to provide a reliable and robust network (because one or more of the ethernet and AC power sources are available), to be able to use UPoE as an emergency backup (e.g., emergency/life-critical lighting needs) while the auxiliary power source is still in existence, to be able to use the auxiliary power source while the PoE power/control is still in existence, to minimize the number of required power end device (PSE) ports, and/or to cut costs of low voltage infrastructure.

Fig. 15 is a block diagram of an example architecture for a low voltage network 212. Network switches 138 may receive power from a power supply unit 214 via low voltage power lines 216 (e.g., 48V DC). The plurality of network switches 138 may also receive control information from the plurality of servers 132 and may be networked together via, for example, the ethernet network 121. The power supply unit 214 may be housed in an electrical room 218, and the plurality of servers 132 housed in a single Information Technology (IT) room 220. The plurality of network switches 138 may convert incoming power and control information to the PoE network 105 and transmit the power and control information to the controllers 118a-n via the plurality of ethernet cables 122. The controllers 118a-n may convert the PoE-based protocol to a low level protocol for communicating with the device 108. The controllers 118a-n may be connected wirelessly and/or via a wired harness 126 with the plurality of devices 108 for transmitting power and/or data to the plurality of devices 108 to control the plurality of devices 108.

Fig. 16-20 are block diagrams of various power delivery scenarios for low voltage networks. In fig. 16, a junction box 228 may remotely connect a DC line 230 to the network switch 138 for providing power to the network switch 138. In fig. 17, junction box 228 further includes an AC/DC converter to convert a 110V AC power source to 48V DC for input power to network switch 138. In fig. 18, the junction box 228 also includes a DC/DC converter for converting a 600V DC power supply to 48V for inputting power to the network switch 138. In fig. 19, junction box 228 is locally located at network switch 138, for example, for converting 600V DC to 48V DC. In fig. 20, 48V DC may be provided to the network switch 138 from the electrical room 218. Other embodiments and voltages may be used for the lines and inputs to the network switch 138.

The disclosure provided herein illustrates various features in its preferred and exemplary embodiments. Numerous other embodiments, modifications and variations within the scope and spirit of the appended claims will occur to persons of ordinary skill in the art from a review of this disclosure.

Those skilled in the art will readily recognize that the steps of the various described methods may be performed by a programmed computer. In this context, some embodiments are intended to encompass a program storage device (e.g., a digital data storage medium) that is machine-or computer-readable and encodes a machine-or computer-executable program of instructions, where the instructions perform some or all of the steps of the method. The program storage device may be, for example, digital memory, a magnetic storage medium (such as a magnetic disk or tape), a hard disk drive, or an optically readable digital data storage medium. The embodiments are also intended to cover computers programmed to perform the steps of the methods described herein.

The processing power of the systems and processes described herein may be distributed among multiple system components, such as among multiple processors and memories, optionally including multiple distributed processing systems. Parameters, databases, and other data structures may be separately stored and managed, may be incorporated into a single memory or database, may be logically and physically organized in many different ways, and may be implemented in a variety of ways, including data structures such as linked lists, hash tables, or implicit storage mechanisms. A program can be part of a single program (e.g., a subroutine), a separate program, distributed across several memories and processors, or implemented in many different ways, such as in a library, such as a shared library (e.g., a Dynamic Link Library) (DLL)). For example, the DLL may store code that performs any of the system processes described above. The system and method may be implemented on the cloud.

Benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have been described herein with regard to specific embodiments of the present invention. However, the benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any element(s) that may cause or result in such benefits, advantages, or solutions, or cause such benefits, advantages, or solutions to become more pronounced are not to be construed as a critical, required, or essential feature or element of any or all the claims.

As used herein and in the appended claims, the terms "comprises," "comprising," "includes" or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements in the list, but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. The terms "an" or "an" for a consonant, as used herein, are defined as one or more than one. The term "plurality", as used herein, is defined as two or more than two. The term another, as used herein, is defined as at least a second or more. Unless otherwise indicated herein, the use of relational terms, if any, such as first and second, top and bottom, and the like are used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions.

The terms including and/or having, as used herein, are defined as comprising (i.e., open language). The term coupled, as used herein, is defined as connected, although not necessarily directly, and not necessarily mechanically. Terms derived from the word "indication of formation of an action noun" (e.g., "indications in general form" and "indications in noun form") are intended to encompass all of the various techniques that may be used to convey or reference the indicated object/information. Some, but not all examples of techniques that may be used to communicate or reference the indicated object/information include communication of the indicated object/information, communication of an identifier of the indicated object/information, communication of information used to generate the indicated object/information, communication of some portion or portion of the indicated object/information, communication of some derivation of the indicated object/information, and communication of some symbol representing the indicated object/information.

In view of the common general knowledge in the art, detailed and sometimes very specific descriptions are provided herein to enable one skilled in the art to make, use and best practice the invention. In the examples, details are provided to illustrate possible embodiments of the invention and should not be construed as limiting or restricting the scope of the broader inventive concept.

Claims (11)

1. A network element, comprising:

a plurality of power over Ethernet interfaces;

an Ethernet interface;

a DC power supply interface; and

a network unit controller communicatively coupled to the Ethernet interface and the plurality of power-over-Ethernet interfaces and electrically coupled to the DC power interface, configured to route information between the Ethernet interface and at least one PoE interface via which the network unit is powered by a DC power source.

2. The network element of claim 1, wherein the dc power source comprises a low voltage power source.

3. The network element of claim 2, wherein the low voltage power supply is between 42 and 57 volts.

4. The network element of claim 2, wherein the low voltage power supply is at substantially 48 volts.

5. The network element of claim 1, wherein the DC power interface is electrically coupled to a low voltage DC power line.

6. The network element of claim 5, wherein the low voltage DC power line is electrically coupled to an AC to DC power supply unit.

7. The network element of claim 5, wherein the low voltage DC power line is electrically coupled to a DC to DC power supply unit.

8. The network element of claim 7, wherein the direct current to direct current power supply unit converts a high voltage DC power supply to a low voltage power supply.

9. The network element of claim 8, wherein the high voltage dc power supply is substantially 600 volts.

10. The network element of claim 8, wherein the low voltage dc power line is electrically coupled to a junction box comprising an ac to dc converter.

11. The network element of claim 8, wherein the low voltage dc power line is electrically coupled to a junction box comprising a dc-to-dc converter, wherein the dc-to-dc converter converts the high voltage dc power to the low voltage power.

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