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US 6,348,874 B1Granted
Power distribution to nodes in a distributed system
AssigneeAgilent Technologies, Inc.
InventorsWesley D. Cole, Hans J. Sitte, Mutsuya Ii, John C. Eidson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system in which remote nodes are supplied with electrical power using existing network communication links. A communication device in a system according to the present techniques routes electrical power to a remote node via a set of unused lines of a network communication link used for communication with the remote node. The electrical power distributed to the remote node may be AC or DC power.
Claims26
A distributed system, comprising:
- network communication link that conforms to an industry standard that specifies a set of data transmission lines and a set of unused lines;
- communication device coupled to the network communication link, the communication device having circuitry for providing electrical power on the unused lines of the network communication link;
- remote node coupled to the network communication link, the remote node having circuitry for obtaining electrical power from the unused lines of the network communication link;
- circuitry for avoiding ground loops between the communication device and the remote node via an earth ground by maintaining a high degree of electrical isolation between a ground for circuitry in the communication device and the remote node and the earth ground.
1 more element
A communication device for a distributed system, comprising:
- circuitry for providing electrical power on a set of unused lines of the network communication link of the distributed system wherein the network communication link conforms to an industry standard that specifies a set of data transmission lines and the unused lines;
- circuitry for avoiding ground loops on the unused lines via an earth ground by maintaining a high degree of electrical isolation between a ground for circuitry in the communication device and the earth ground.
A remote node for a distributed system, comprising:
- circuitry for obtaining electrical power from a set of unused lines of the network communication link wherein the network communication link conforms to an industry standard that specifies a set of data transmission lines and the unused lines;
- circuitry for avoiding ground loops on the unused lines via an earth ground by maintaining a high degree of electrical isolation between a ground for circuitry in the remote node and the earth ground.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.