Cisco Technology, Inc.

Apple Inc.

Koussalya Balasubramanian

Frederick Roland Schindler

Anoop Vetteth

Sandeep Arvindkumar Patel

Shashi Kumar

Rob Liston

Charles Calvin Byers

Paul A Baker

Yu Liu

Gary S Thomason

Matthew A Laherty

Naoshad Mehta

Abhilash Rajagopal

Hao Shi

Kamran Torabi

Venus Kumar

Chris Bullock

Jason W Leung

Chuong Nguyen

Brent E Tweddle

Harold C Ockerse

Sensor data produced in a multi-sensor environment is time synchronized, such as using a master time. A component that derives the master time transmits a signal to a first sensor of the multi-sensor environment, which signal indicates the master time. The component subsequently receives a signal from the first sensor, which signal indicates a first time determined by the first sensor based on the master time and a latency associated with the first sensor. The first time indicates a time of an event associated with the first sensor data. A determination is then made that the first sensor data corresponds to second sensor data produced using a second sensor of the multi-sensor environment based on the first time and a second time indicating a time of an event associated with the second sensor data.

Time synchronization of sensor data

A data network may include a data bus and network nodes. The data bus may be a differential data bus having first and second differential signal lines that convey differential signals between the nodes. A bimodal impedance terminator may be coupled to the first and second differential signal lines at one or both ends of the data bus. The bimodal impedance terminator may include a first resistor coupled between the first differential signal line and a circuit node and a second resistor coupled between the second differential signal line and the circuit node. A capacitor may be coupled between the circuit node and ground. A third resistor may be coupled between the circuit node and ground in series with the capacitor. The bimodal impedance terminator may terminate both the differential-mode impedance and the common-mode impedance of the data bus to reduce signal reflections at the ends of the data bus.

Bimodal impedance matching terminators

A technique is able to direct a power signal from a port power controller to one of multiple physical ports. The technique involves activating a set of port power controllers. Each port power controller is constructed and arranged to deliver power to a device through at most one physical port at a time. The technique further involves performing a set of discovery operations to discover device presence, the set of discovery operations providing discovery data. The technique further involves providing, based on the discovery data provided by the set of discovery operations, a set of switching signals to switching circuitry which is coupled to a set of physical ports. The switching circuitry is constructed and arranged to steer power signals from the activated set of port power controllers through the set of physical ports to deliver power to a set of devices.

Directing a power signal from a port power controller to one of multiple physical ports

A powered device (PD) receives a Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) voltage to power the PD over a cable from Power Source Equipment (PSE) configured to output a requested one of multiple candidate PoE voltages to the cable. The PD determines a preferred PoE voltage among the multiple candidate PoE voltages that minimizes a total power loss due to (i) the cable, and (ii) a power loss of the PD that would result if the PD were powered through the cable. The PD requests the preferred PoE voltage from the PSE, receives the preferred PoE voltage from the PSE, and operates at the preferred PoE voltage.

Negotiable PoE voltage for improved efficiency based on cable and powered device losses

A network device includes Power-over-Ethernet PoE ports to communicate with a communication network and Universal Serial Bus (USB) devices. The network device establishes an Internet Protocol (IP) related connection with an application program, and receives downlink IP packets carrying USB transaction requests destined for the USB device from the application program over the IP connection. The network device converts the received downlink IP packets carrying the USB transaction requests to downlink bus-level USB transactions that are understandable to the USB device. The network device sends the downlink bus-level USB transactions to the USB adaptor device over a PoE connection for forwarding by the USB adaptor device to the USB device.

Network-USB (NUSB) communication system by which network applications communicate with USB devices over power-over-ethernet (PoE) connection

A Network-Universal Serial Bus (NUSB) adaptor exchanges Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) packets with, and receives power from, a Power Source Equipment (PSE) over a PoE connection with the PSE, and exchanges Universal Serial Bus (USB) messages with, and provides power to, a USB device over a USB connection with the USB device. The NUSB adaptor converts between a USB power negotiation protocol implemented between the USB device and the NUSB adaptor and a PoE power negotiation protocol implemented between the NUSB adapter and the network device.

Power-over-ethernet (POE)-enabled network device and USB device power negotiation using USB to POE protocol conversion

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.

Dynamically configurable power-over-ethernet apparatus and method

An interface device receives at least one access command with at least one corresponding slave address on a bus. The interface device reads a configuration register, and responsive to the reading of the configuration register, the interface device selects one of a plurality of interface architecture configurations. The interface architecture configurations allow the interface device to operate as either a single physical interface entity or as multiple virtual interface entities. The interface device processes the access command according to the selected interface architecture configuration.

Dynamic interface model

Presented herein are techniques for storing parameter values determined by a power sourcing equipment (PSE) device during a Power over Ethernet (PoE) detection process. More specifically, in one example, a voltage is applied to an end device connected, via an Ethernet cable, to a port of the PSE device. The PSE device measures the current drawn by the end device and calculates, based on the measured current, a resistance and/or a capacitance value for the end device. The resistance and/or capacitance values are then stored in a memory of the PSE device.

Power over Ethernet parameter storage

Techniques are provided for providing power onto multiple power distribution paths. Power controller devices receive power from a power source device and are coupled to first and second multiplexer units. The multiplexer units receive power from the power source devices via the power controller devices for first and second power distribution paths. A multiplexer control unit controls the multiplexer units to output power from the first power distribution path, the second power distribution path or both of the paths. Power subsystems are provided comprising first and second power transistor units. The first transistor unit receives power from the first multiplexer unit over the first path and the second transistor unit receives power from the second multiplexer unit over the second path. Ports are provided and are coupled to a powered device. The multiplexer control unit controls the multiplexer units to supply power to the respective ports according to the type of powered device detected at a port.

Inline power multiplexer device

Discovering a device presence and directing a power signal to the device from a port power controller through at most one of multiple physical ports at a time

Growing community of inventors

Santa Clara, CA, United States of America

Koussalya Balasubramanian