Initialization and synchronization for pulse power in a network system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11063630-B2
Application number	US-201916671508-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 1, 2019
Priority date	Nov 1, 2019
Publication date	Jul 13, 2021
Grant date	Jul 13, 2021

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method includes transmitting from power sourcing equipment, low voltage pulse power to a powered device in a communications network, performing a safety test, enabling high voltage pulse power operation at the power sourcing equipment upon passing the safety test, and transmitting high voltage pulse power from the power sourcing equipment to the powered device. The powered device synchronizes with a waveform of the low voltage pulse power.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
transmitting from power sourcing equipment, low voltage pulse power to a powered device;
performing a safety test;
enabling high voltage pulse power operation at the power sourcing equipment upon passing the safety test; and
transmitting high voltage pulse power from the power sourcing equipment to the powered device;
wherein the powered device synchronizes with a waveform of the low voltage pulse power.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein a modulator switch at the powered device synchronizes with a modulator switch at the power sourcing equipment.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising communicating with the powered device after a modulator switch at the powered device is turned on.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the low voltage pulse power comprises pulses of power transmitted at or below 60 volts.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein a difference between the low voltage pulse power and the high voltage pulse power is at least 170 volts.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising establishing a communications link with a transceiver at the powered device and negotiating a power level with the powered device.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising repeating said transmitting the low voltage pulse power and said performing the safety test for each phase of a multi-phase pulse power system in which pulses are offset from one another between phases.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the safety test comprises a cable capacitance and shock fault test.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the safety test comprises a capacitance test and further comprising identifying a minimum off time between high voltage pulses of the high voltage pulse power based on the capacitance test.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising transmitting the high voltage pulse power to a second powered device in communication with the powered device.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein performing the safety test comprises:
modulating cable capacitance voltage and measuring discharge time;
setting a load voltage threshold based on a calculated cable capacitance; and
determining a high voltage pulse power duty cycle.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the power sourcing equipment comprises a manually operated shorting switch to prevent transmittal of the high voltage pulse power during maintenance.

Assignees

• Cisco Tech Inc

Inventors

• Arduini Douglas Paul
• Baek Sung Kee
• O'Brien Richard Anthony
• Goergen Joel Richard
• Jones Chad M
• Potterf Jason Dewayne
• Li Ruqi

Classifications

• H02J13/16

  the power network being controlled at grid-level, e.g. using aggregators · CPC title

• H04L41/0654

  using network fault recovery (ring fault isolation or reconfiguration in loop networks without recovery actions by a network management system H04L12/437) · CPC title

• H04L7/0091

  Transmitter details · CPC title

• G01R31/58

  Testing of lines, cables or conductors (testing of electric windings G01R31/72) · CPC title

• G01R31/52

  Testing for short-circuits, leakage current or ground faults · CPC title