Power over ethernet method, apparatus, device, and system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9268383-B2
Application number	US-201414464514-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 20, 2014
Priority date	Dec 28, 2012
Publication date	Feb 23, 2016
Grant date	Feb 23, 2016

Abstract

The application pertains to a method for an Ethernet power sourcing equipment to provide electric power to one or more Ethernet powered devices. A controlling apparatus determines a power supply mode of the Ethernet power sourcing equipment, and determines high-power Ethernet powered device(s) and low-power Ethernet powered device(s) among the Ethernet powered devices. The controlling apparatus sets a power supply priority for each of the Ethernet powered devices. In one power supply mode, the power supply priority of a high-power Ethernet powered device is same as or lower than the lowest priority of the low-power Ethernet powered device(s). When a new Ethernet powered device is connected to the Ethernet power sourcing equipment, the controlling apparatus determines whether to supply electric power to the new Ethernet powered device according to its power supply priority.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for an Ethernet power sourcing equipment to provide power to one or more Ethernet powered devices connected to the Ethernet power sourcing equipment, comprising:
when the Ethernet power sourcing equipment is in a first power supply mode, determining, by a controlling apparatus, high-power Ethernet powered device(s) and low-power Ethernet powered device(s) among the Ethernet powered devices, wherein when power requirement of an Ethernet powered device is greater than a set value, it is determined to be the high-power Ethernet powered device; otherwise, it is determined to be the low-power Ethernet powered device; wherein in the first power supply mode, the Ethernet power sourcing equipment preferentially supplies power to the low-power Ethernet powered device(s) and supplies power to a high-power Ethernet powered device only after power supply requirements of the low-power Ethernet powered device(s) are met; and
setting, by the controlling apparatus, a power supply priority for each of the Ethernet powered devices, wherein the power supply priority of a high-power Ethernet powered device is set same as or lower than the lowest priority of the low-power Ethernet powered device(s); and
when the Ethernet power sourcing equipment is in a second power supply mode, setting, by the controlling apparatus, according to a preset policy and regardless of the power requirements of the Ethernet powered devices, power supply priorities of the Ethernet powered devices, wherein the preset policy is one of the following:
a power supply priority of an earlier-connected Ethernet powered device is higher than the power supply priority of a later-connected Ethernet powered device;
a power supply priority of a later-connected Ethernet powered device is higher than the power supply priority of an earlier-connected Ethernet powered device; and
a power supply priority of an Ethernet powered device is set according to a preset priority of an Ethernet port of the Ethernet power sourcing equipment to which the Ethernet powered device is connected; and

when a new Ethernet powered device is connected to the Ethernet power sourcing equipment, wherein a maximum output power of the Ethernet power sourcing equipment is a constant value,
determining, by the controlling apparatus, a power requirement of the new Ethernet powered device;
when the Ethernet power sourcing equipment is in the first power supply mode, setting, by the controlling apparatus, a power supply priority of the new Ethernet powered device according to the power requirement of the new Ethernet powered device;
when the Ethernet power sourcing equipment is in the second power supply mode, setting, by the controlling apparatus, the power supply priority of the new Ethernet powered device according to the preset policy; and
determining, by the controlling apparatus, whether the Ethernet power sourcing equipment supplies power to the new Ethernet powered device according to:
the maximum output power of the Ethernet power sourcing equipment,
an amount of power of the Ethernet power sourcing equipment being supplied to existing Ethernet powered devices,
the power supply priorities of the existing Ethernet powered devices, and
the power supply priority of the new Ethernet powered device.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the determining whether the Ethernet power sourcing equipment supplies power to the new Ethernet powered device comprises:
determining a working state of the Ethernet power sourcing equipment according to the maximum output power of the Ethernet power sourcing equipment, a first power threshold, and the amount of power of the Ethernet power sourcing equipment being supplied to the existing Ethernet powered devices, wherein the working state is a normal state if the amount of power of the Ethernet power sourcing equipment being supplied to the existing Ethernet powered devices is less than or equal to the first power threshold, the working state is a high-load state if the amount of power of the Ethernet power sourcing equipment being supplied to the existing Ethernet powered devices is greater than the first power threshold and less than or equal to the maximum output power of the Ethernet power sourcing equipment, and the working state is a overload state if the amount of power of the Ethernet power sourcing equipment being supplied to the existing Ethernet powered devices is greater than the maximum output power of the Ethernet power sourcing equipment; and
when the working state of the Ethernet power sourcing equipment is the high-load state, if the power supply priority of the new Ethernet powered device is higher than the power supply priority of at least one existing high-power Ethernet powered device, controlling the Ethernet power sourcing equipment to supply power to the new Ethernet powered device, and to cease supplying power to the existing high-power Ethernet powered device.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the determining whether the Ethernet power sourcing equipment supplies power to the new Ethernet powered device further comprises:
when the working state is the overload state, controlling the Ethernet power sourcing equipment to cease supplying power to an existing Ethernet powered device with a lowest power supply priority among the existing Ethernet powered devices, and to refuse supplying power to the new Ethernet powered device, until the Ethernet power sourcing equipment reaches the normal working state.

4. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the determining whether the Ethernet power sourcing equipment supplies power to the new Ethernet powered device further comprises:
when the working state is the normal state, controlling the Ethernet power sourcing equipment to supply power to the new Ethernet powered device.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the set value is 30 watts (W).

6. An apparatus for controlling power supply over Ethernet to one or more Ethernet powered devices connected to an Ethernet power sourcing equipment, comprising a processing hardware platform executing instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, to perform a process that comprises:
when the Ethernet power sourcing equipment is in a first power supply mode, determining high-power Ethernet powered device(s) and low-power Ethernet powered device(s) among the Ethernet powered devices connected to the Ethernet power sourcing equipment, wherein when power requirement of an Ethernet powered device is greater than a set value, it is determined to be the high-power Ethernet powered device; otherwise, it is determined to be the low-power Ethernet powered device; wherein in the first power supply mode, the Ethernet power sourcing equipment preferentially supplies power to low-power Ethernet powered device(s) and supplies power to a high-power Ethernet powered device only after power supply requirements of the low-power Ethernet powered device(s) are met; and
setting a power supply priority for each of the Ethernet powered devices, wherein the power supply priority of a high-power Ethernet powered device is set same as or lower than the lowest priority of the low-power Ethernet powered device(s); and
when the Ethernet power sourcing equipment is in a second power supply mode, setting, by the controlling apparatus, according to a preset policy and regardless of the power requirements of the Ethernet powered devices, power supply priorities of the Ethernet powered devices, wherein the preset policy is one of the following:
a power supply priority of an earlier-connected Ethernet powered device is higher than the power supply priority of a later-connected Ethernet powered device;
a power supply priority of a later-connected Ethernet powered device is higher th

Assignees

• Huawei Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hua Rui
• Gu Ying
• He Zhangqing
• Yang Jianguang
• Cao Tongqiang
• Huang Anhu

Classifications

• G06F1/26 Primary

  Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof (for memories G11C) · CPC title

• H04L12/413

  with random access, e.g. carrier-sense multiple-access with collision detection [CSMA-CD] · CPC title

• H04L12/10 Primary

  Current supply arrangements · CPC title