Fault management power system including optical communication elements

Abstract

A solution to provide a fault management power system using optical elements is disclosed. Fault management power systems can provide safe and efficient power transfer using fiber optic links to improve the integrity, security, and coverage of the system of signals.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 538,552, filed on September 15, 2023, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 546,552, filed on October 31, 2023, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of fault management power systems using optical elements. In particular, the present application discloses active and passive devices for safe and efficient power transmission infrastructure required to power communication and computing network equipment. Background Art

[0003] Enterprise networks have traditionally used unshielded twisted pair (UTP) copper cables such as CAT 6 and Power over Ethernet (POE) for power and data transmission between network devices. However, copper infrastructure limits network distances to 100 meters, and it has reached a point where achieving efficient transmission at data rates above 10G over copper cables over 100 meters has become difficult, and in some cases even impractical.

[0004] Optical networks provide secure and virtually unlimited bandwidth over very long distances, covering the needs of premises and campus networks from the core layer to the access layer. In addition, due to the high bandwidth, the power consumption and latency per transmitted bit are significantly lower than UTP channels. Optical systems are widely used in access networks, metropolitan area networks, core networks, and data center networks, providing unparalleled bandwidth capacity. Optical networks support wired and wireless applications, access, and distributed high-speed access points (picocells, femtocells), interconnected devices, high-resolution security cameras, and distributed audio / video using 4K 8K display systems. While optical fiber can effectively transmit data at high data rates over longer distances, it cannot effectively transmit the power required to power equipment.

[0005] Power is not always readily available at the end device location, which requires either the installation of power infrastructure or the transmission of power to the desired point. Although transmitting data and power over optical fiber can be advantageous, existing technologies for transmitting power in optical signals remain immature.

[0006] Class 4 Power (C4P) is a highly efficient, fault-managed power system whose features and requirements have recently been incorporated into the latest versions of the National Electrical Code (NEC) and Underwriters Laboratories documents UL 1400-1 and UL 1400-2. C4P utilizes higher voltages (up to 450V) than traditional Power over Ethernet, resulting in more efficient power delivery.

[0007] C4P can power a variety of communications, computing and switching equipment, such as distributed antenna systems (DAS), passive optical LANs (POLs), active zone switches, access points, 5G antennas, remote access cabinets and small cells. The technology can simplify the deployment of network and edge devices in enterprise facilities, such as airports, stadiums and other venues, hotels, warehouses, manufacturing plants and offices. Summary of the invention

[0008] Currently, C4P can utilize the pulse power (PP) method described in U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 512,081 filed on October 27, 2021 (published as US2022 / 0050135 on February 17, 2022), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. An exemplary PP system may include a power transmitter, a power receiver, and a compliant C4P cable. The power transmitter transmits a pulse power signal for a duration of Tp and stops power transmission during Tm. During Tm, the PP system, including a power transmitter and a receiver, monitors and checks the safety of the channel by evaluating electrical changes in circuit parameters. If the change is within the tolerance range, the power transmitter sends another pulse power signal. If the change is outside the tolerance range, the power transmitter stops transmitting the pulse power signal. The power transmitter and the power receiver use digital or analog signals to share data containing control parameters.

[0009] Likewise, the fault management power concept can also be applied to direct current (DC) power systems such as described in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 457,191 filed on April 5, 2023, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. The C4P DC system can simplify the complexity of transmitter and receiver equipment while providing better signal integrity for monitoring and control signals, avoiding harmonics or noise associated with power switching.

[0010] However, in a C4P DC system, Tm=0 increases the requirement to sense the fault and shut down the power. Depending on the transmission current and the topology used (point-to-point or multipoint), C4P DC may require more reliable and faster communication between the power transmitter and receiver. The fiber optic system described in this article can be applied to two types of C4P systems: PP or DC. In both cases, the incorporation of the fiber optic system provides the benefit of reducing the complexity of filters and other components of the system.

[0011] Therefore, the present invention discloses an apparatus and method for C4P, which uses optical fiber communication to improve the coverage and signal integrity of control and monitoring signals to facilitate the deployment of point-to-point or multi-point topologies. The use of optical fiber in combination with the C4P fault detection system can provide excellent signal integrity for control / monitoring signals due to low attenuation, EMI interference resistance and zero crosstalk while making the channel less vulnerable to malicious attacks.

[0012] According to some embodiments, a fault management power system is disclosed, the fault management power system including a power transmitter configured to: during a system initialization mode, control a power switch to disconnect the power transmitter from a power source, control a low power switch to connect a low power source and power an optical subassembly, determine whether at least one optical fiber port and at least one electrical port are connected to a predetermined condition of a hybrid cable, and based on the determination, control an optical data interface to transmit a connection request to a power receiver, receive a reply to the connection request from the power receiver via the optical subassembly, receive a diagnostic message from the power receiver via the optical subassembly, perform a fault detection test, and determine whether a power transmission condition is met based on at least the diagnostic message and the fault detection test, and control the transmission of high voltage power based on the determination. The fault management power system also includes a hybrid cable, the hybrid cable including both optical fiber and wire, the hybrid cable coupled to the power transmitter and the power receiver, and wherein the optical subassembly is configured to communicate with the power receiver using the optical fiber, and wherein the high voltage power is transmitted using the wire.

[0013] These and other non-limiting exemplary embodiments of the C4P system will be described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1A is a portion of a circuit block diagram of an exemplary Class 4 power DC system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0015] Figure 1B According to some embodiments of the present disclosure Figure 1A A portion of a circuit block diagram of an exemplary Class 4 power DC system is shown in FIG.

[0016] Figure 2 is an exemplary flow chart describing an exemplary initialization, fault recovery, and testing process for a Class 4 power DC system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0017] Figure 3 TABLE 4 is an exemplary block diagram representing a communication link between a transmitter and a receiver in a Class 4 power DC system according to some embodiments.

[0018] Figure 4A is a block diagram showing a power transmitter included in a Class 4 power DC system according to a first embodiment.

[0019] Figure 4B is a block diagram showing a power receiver included in a Class 4 power DC system according to a first embodiment.

[0020] Figure 5A is a block diagram showing a power transmitter included in a Class 4 power DC system according to a second embodiment.

[0021] Figure 5B is a block diagram showing a power receiver included in a Class 4 power DC system according to a second embodiment.

[0022] Fig. 6A An exemplary data frame transmitted by a power transmitter in a Class 4 power DC system is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0023] Figure 6B An exemplary data frame transmitted by a power receiver in a Class 4 power DC system is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0024] Fig. 7A is a block diagram showing a power transmitter included in a Class 4 power DC system according to a third embodiment.

[0025] Figure 7B is a block diagram showing a power receiver included in a Class 4 power DC system according to a third embodiment.

[0026] Fig. 8A is a block diagram showing a simplified configuration of a power receiver included in a Class 4 power DC system according to a fourth embodiment.

[0027] Figure 8B is a block diagram showing a power receiver included in a Class 4 power DC system according to a fourth embodiment.

[0028] Fig.9A is a diagram showing a method of including Figure 3 An exemplary encoding map of an analog signal to a pulse width modulated signal at a power receiver in a Class 4 power DC system is shown.

[0029] Fig. 9B is a diagram showing a method of including Figure 3 An example diagram of a power receiver in a Class 4 power DC system decoding a received pulse signal is shown.

[0030] Fig. 10A is a block diagram showing a power transmitter included in a Class 4 power DC system according to a fourth embodiment.

[0031] Fig. 10Bis a block diagram showing a power receiver included in a Class-4 power system according to a fourth embodiment.

[0032] Fig.11 is a graphical view of a communication scheme for transmitting data to 16 power receivers included in a Class 4 power DC system according to a fourth embodiment.

[0033] Fig.12 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary utilization of a Class 4 power DC system in an optical communication system in accordance with some embodiments.

[0034] Fig.13 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary hybrid module for use in a Class 4 power DC system according to some embodiments.

[0035] Fig.14A An exemplary multi-point topology system diagram is shown in which a power transmitter is transmitting to multiple power receivers in accordance with some embodiments.

[0036] Fig. 14B According to some embodiments Fig.14A An internal view of an exemplary hybrid coupler used in a multi-point topology system is shown.

[0037] Fig.15A is a graph plotting maximum current exposure time for different current values ​​within Class 4 power requirements according to some embodiments.

[0038] Fig. 15B is a graph that plots voltage values ​​for different exposure times within 4 power class requirements according to some embodiments.

[0039] Fig.16 is an exemplary cycle diagram illustrating how on-the-fly verification may be achieved by a Class 4 power DC system according to some embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] As required, detailed non-limiting embodiments are disclosed herein. However, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary embodiments and may take various alternative forms. The drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, and features may be exaggerated or reduced to show the details of a particular component. Therefore, the specific structural and functional details disclosed herein should not be interpreted as limiting, but only as a representative basis for guiding those skilled in the art.

[0041] The present disclosure relates to novel apparatuses and methods for safe and efficient power transfer that utilize an optical fiber link to improve signal integrity, security, and coverage of a system. The optical fiber system enables signals to be transmitted at a faster speed over longer distances and can be used to power network, computing, or storage devices up to 10 km away without signal regeneration covering point-to-point or multi-point systems. The disclosed C4P system utilizes a low-complexity power receiver, where most of the processing of digital and security protocols is performed by the power transmitter. Additionally, the disclosed C4P system utilizes a novel calibration method that uses switched loads to improve system accuracy and real-time monitoring.

[0042] In the C4P system, sensing, monitoring, and communication are critical for control within specified guidelines and tolerances due to the harmful effects of human exposure to the transmitted current. According to the requirements of UL-1400-1, for 450 V RMS, the allowable exposure time to high-voltage power in C4P is Te ≤ 3.8 milliseconds. In the PP system, the high-voltage power transmission time Tp for power transfer is set to be less than the exposure time Te to ensure this safety requirement (Tp < Te), and Tm for sensing and monitoring is approximately Tm ≈ k * Tp, where 0 < k ≤ 1, to ensure that the sensing and monitoring time period is as long as or less than the power transfer time period.

[0043] Currently, in the C4P DC system disclosed herein, since the high-voltage power is transmitted continuously rather than in pulses, there is no dedicated sensing and monitoring time for faults on the transmission line when the power drops to a low state (i.e., the sensing / monitoring time is zero, Tm = 0). Therefore, in order for the C4P DC system to comply with the guidelines in UL 1400-1, requirements for sensing faults and implementing a shutdown in power are added. In other words, depending on the transmitted current and the topology used (point-to-point or multi-point), C4P DC may require more reliable and faster communication between the power transmitter and the receiver, which can be provided by incorporating an optical fiber system to transfer information between the power transmitter and the receiver. The incorporation of the optical fiber system provides the additional benefit of reducing the complexity of filters and other components of the system.

[0044] The disclosed C4P DC system combines the safety and efficiency of C4P power transfer with the high bandwidth of optical fiber. The C4P DC system can use cables with reduced dimensions to facilitate the deployment of high-bandwidth terminal devices, thereby improving reliability and network management.

[0045] Figure 1A and Figure 1BA schematic circuit diagram of a C4PDC system 100 including a power transmitter 300 and a power receiver 500 using an optical communication system is shown. The optical communication system includes a hybrid cable 110, which includes a copper or aluminum conductor and one or more optical fibers. According to other embodiments, the optical communication system can use a non-hybrid cable, in which the electrical power conductor and the optical fiber (glass or plastic optical fiber, POF) are located in different cables. Depending on the installation, a graded multimode fiber, MMF or POF can be used as an optical medium for the optical fiber portion including the hybrid cable 110. However, single-mode fiber (SMF) has advantages for longer distances and providing high-bandwidth communications for terminal devices powered by a power receiver 500 as disclosed herein.

[0046] The power transmitter 300 and the power receiver 500 include several elements for safe power transfer. For example, the power transmitter 300 includes a high voltage power supply (PSU) 305 with a programmable current limiter, a set of redundant power switches 307 for enabling / disabling power transfer, and a switched safety extra low voltage (SELV) source 310 for providing the power receiver (s) 500 with the safe power (e.g., 24V or 48V) required by the power circuits but not the power required for operation during initialization or fault recovery.

[0047] Each power transmitter 300 and power receiver 500 includes a low voltage auxiliary power supply 410T (for the transmitter) and 410R (for the receiver) to power control and communication circuits such as a microcontroller unit (MCU) 450T on the power transmitter 300 side, a similar MCU 450R on the power receiver 500 side, and an optical subassembly 600T on the power transmitter 300 side and an optical subassembly 600R on the power receiver 500 side. Each power transmitter 300 and power receiver 500 includes at least two current sensing circuits: two current sensing circuits 415T for the power transmitter 300, and two current sensing circuits 415R for the power receiver 500. As shown in FIG. Figure 1B As shown, each sensing circuit includes a calibration load, such as TXI for power transmitter 300. H or TXI L , or RXI for power receiver 500 H or RXI L , which are placed on the high voltage side and the low voltage side of the circuit respectively. The calibration load 505 generates a voltage proportional to the circulating current, which is amplified and then digitized by the analog-to-analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 420T on the power transmitter 300 side or the ADC 420R on the power receiver 500 side.

[0048] Each power transmitter 300 and power receiver 500 may include a DC bus voltage sensing unit 418T and 418R located on the power transmitter 300 and the power receiver 500, respectively, which is connected to the capacitors 416T and 416R on the power transmitter 300 and the power receiver 500, respectively. In each power transmitter 300 or power receiver 500, the corresponding voltage sensing unit 418T or 418R provides a voltage signal to the respective ADC 420T or 420R. These ADCs are connected to respective MCUs (e.g., MCU 450T in the transmitter 300 and MCU 450R in the power receiver 500), which also include a diode 517 to prevent reverse current from the DC bus bulk capacitor.

[0049] The MCUs 450T and 450R in the power transmitter 300 and the power receiver 500 respectively include processing and storage functions. The MCUs 450T / 450R in the power transmitter 300 and the power receiver 500 respectively execute safety protocols including switching operations, and may also manage communication protocols from the power transmitter 300 to the power receiver 500. The MCUs 450T and 450R in the power transmitter 300 and the power receiver 500 respectively utilize corresponding optical subassemblies 600T or 600R to provide optical communication between the power transmitter 300 and one or more power receivers 500. Each optical subassembly 600T and 600R in the power transmitter 300 and the power receiver 500 respectively consists of at least one light source, a driving circuit, an optical receiver, an amplifier, and an optical coupling element, as described in the following section of this disclosure.

[0050] The power receiver 500 includes a load disconnect switch 519 to isolate the load 505 after fault detection or during initialization of fault recovery.

[0051] Figure 1A and Figure 1B Another disclosed feature of the illustrated embodiment is a switched reference load 520 located on the power receiver 500, which is used for testing and verification of sensing and ADC circuits during initialization, fault recovery, or even operation (live), as described later in this disclosure. Initialization method

[0052] Figure 2A flowchart 200 of a system startup process (initialization) or a fault recovery process for a C4P DC system is shown, where the process can be used for a point-to-point topology (Nr=1) and a multi-point topology (Nr>1), where Nr is the number of active power receivers 500. The system startup process (initialization), the fault recovery process and / or other processes described herein for a C4P DC system can be implemented by a solution including software, hardware, middleware and / or circuitry included in the C4P DC system, such as an MCU 450T or MCU450R.

[0053] At 720, the power switch 307 within the power transmitter 300 is opened to disconnect the power source 305. At this step 720, the switch 519 should be opened to disconnect the load 505 at the power receiver 500. However, since communication between the power transmitter 300 and the power receiver 500 has not yet been established, this condition cannot be verified at step 720.

[0054] At 722, SELV 310 (eg, 24-48V DC) is switched via switch SoTT 311 (see Figure 1A ) is activated, but the current is limited (eg <25 mA), resulting in a low voltage on the port line shown in the hybrid cable 110.

[0055] At 724 , the low voltage auxiliary power supply 410T is active and powers the MCU 450T and the optical subassembly (“OSA”) 600T on the power transmitter 300 side.

[0056] At 726 , the MCU 450T senses whether the local electrical ports 320 , 322 and optical port 325 are connected to the hybrid cable 110 using impedance measurements of the electrical ports 320 , 322 or return loss measurements from a sensor for the optical port 325 to verify these mechanical connections.

[0057] At 728, it is determined whether the hybrid cable 110 is connected to the local electrical ports 320, 322 and the optical port 325. If so, the process proceeds to step 736.

[0058] At 736, the MCU 450T in the power transmitter 300 controls the OSA 600T to command any power receiver 500 connected to the hybrid cable 110 to reply with its ID and self-diagnosis results. The power receiver 500 then transmits a response back using its respective OSA 600R. A pseudo-random delay may be used in its response to minimize message collisions. At 738, if no power receiver replies, this is another instance of a failure of the initialization process (at 760).

[0059] At 760, after the MCU 450T verifies that the hybrid cable 110 is connected to the local port of the power transmitter 300, the SELV 310 is disconnected by opening the switch SoTT 311, thereby indicating that the initialization process has failed (at 760). If a hybrid cable 110 is detected, the auxiliary power supplies 410R of all connected power receivers 500 will power up the respective MCUs 450R, which will run an initial self-diagnostic and open the switch 519.

[0060] At 740 , if at least one power receiver 500 replies, the MCU 450T on the power transmitter 300 side will store the self-diagnosis result from the reporting power receiver 500 and perform an ID check on the self-diagnosis result.

[0061] At 742, if the self-diagnostics of any power receiver 500 show a fault condition, then the initialization process will fail (at 760). After all power receivers 500 self-diagnostics pass, a "Test-the-tester" procedure is initiated at step 746, which verifies the hardware / software integrity of the system (all receiver IDs). Steps 744, 748, 750, 752, and 753 represent the loop iterations required for multi-point configuration (Nr>1). The "Test Tester" procedure of step 746 is described as follows: The power transmitter 300 commands the power receiver 500 with a specific target ID to introduce a calibrated reference load 520. All other power receivers 500 with different IDs do not respond to the command. The current sensing circuits 415T / 415R on both the power transmitter 300 side and the power receiver 500 side monitor the feeding current through the hybrid cable 110, and the output data of the current sensing circuits 415T / 415R are sampled, digitized and analyzed in real time by the MCUs 450T and 450R on both the power transmitter 300 side and the power receiver 500 side. In each measurement cycle, the MCU 450R of the power receiver 500 encodes the data analyzed in real time and sends it to the OSA 600R, which modulates the data and transmits it to the power transmitter 300 through the optical link of the hybrid cable 110 . The OSA 600T of the power transmitter 300 demodulates the data and sends it to the MCU 450T of the power transmitter 300 for decoding. In addition to analyzing the current sensing data, the MCU 450T of the power transmitter 300 also analyzes other system indicators from both sides of the link to verify the integrity, effectiveness and safety of the system. It also verifies the fault detection status of the hybrid cable 110 against any impedance hung on the line (ie, touch fault) before enabling the high voltage. Additional testing at the power transmitter 300 includes verifying that the difference between the analyzed currents from the redundant loads (TXIH and TXIL) in 415T meets the required tolerance. In certain variations of the embodiment, when the power receiver 500 transmits data from its two loads 415R, the power receiver 500 will also verify that the redundant load (RXIH) in 415R is within the required tolerance. H and RXI L ) meets the required tolerance. Any detected non-compliance with the tolerance triggers a fault flag, and the C4P DC system 100 shows a fault state and initialization failure (at 760). Note that the power transmitter 300 can determine whether the fault is from one of the power receivers 500 or from its own circuit within the power transmitter 300. The power transmitter 300 and / or the power receiver 500 may also introduce internal impedance to simulate a fault condition (ie, touch or short circuit) and verify the C4P DC system 100 during the initialization process state. The system verification process continues for a predefined period of time. Once verified, the power transmitter 300 can command the power receiver 500 to disable the reference load 520 and open the switch 519 (ID=i, as shown in FIG. 1 ) on the side of the power receiver 500 under test. Figure 2 as shown), and waits until a reply is received on the communication link to confirm the disconnection of the switch 519 and the reference load 520.

[0062] At 748 , if the evaluation of the power receiver 500 fails, then the “Test Tester” procedure fails (Failure status in step 760 ).

[0063] At 748 , if the evaluation of the power receiver 500 passes, the next receiver (from the list of receivers 500 , each with a unique ID) is tested using the procedure at 746 described above.

[0064] At 752, after successfully testing all power receivers 500, the power transmitter 300 commands all power receivers 500 to close their respective switches 519 to connect their respective loads 505 and wait until a reply is received to confirm the disconnection. If Nr=1, the power transmitter disconnects the SELV 310, closes the switch 307, and starts the operation and monitoring process at 770.

[0065] If Nr>1, then in step 754, the C4P DC system 100 verifies whether the difference between the sum of the currents from all power receivers 500 and the current measured at the power transmitter 300 when all reference loads 520 of all power receivers 500 are connected is below a specified tolerance. If this condition is met, the C4P DC system 100 starts the operation and monitoring process at 770 as follows: Operation and Monitoring Process 770: During operation, the current sensing circuits 415T / 415R on both the power transmitter 300 side and the power receiver 500 side monitor the feeding current through the hybrid cable 110, and the output data of the current sensing circuits 415T / 415R are sampled, digitized and analyzed in real time by the MCUs 450T and 450R on both the power transmitter 300 side and the power receiver 500 side. The power transmitter 300 periodically sends a command with a specific target ID to the power receiver 500 and turns off the broadcast flag to send its analysis data. In each measurement cycle, the MCU 450R of the power receiver 500 encodes the real-time analysis data and sends it to the OSA 600R, which modulates the data and transmits it to the power transmitter 300 via the optical link of the hybrid cable 110. The OSA 600T of the power transmitter 300 demodulates the data and sends it to the MCU 450T of the power transmitter 300 for further decoding and analysis. The MCU 450T on the power transmitter 300 side analyzes other system indicators from both sides of the link in addition to analyzing the current sensing data to verify the integrity, effectiveness and safety of the system. Before enabling high voltage, it also verifies the fault detection status of the hybrid cable 110 for any impedance hanging on the line (i.e., touch fault). Additional testing at the power transmitter 300 includes verifying that the difference between the analyzed currents of the redundant loads (TXIH and TXIL) in 415T meets the required tolerance. In some variations of the embodiment, when the power receiver 500 sends data from its two loads 415R, the power receiver 500 also verifies that the redundant load (RXIH) in 415R H and RXI L ) to determine whether the difference between the analyzed currents is within the required tolerance range. The power transmitter 300 and / or the power receiver 500 may also introduce internal impedance to simulate a fault condition (i.e., touch or short circuit) and verify the C4P DC system 100 during operation. For example, at a certain time, the power transmitter 300 commands the power receiver 500 to introduce a calibration reference load 520 using a specific target ID. Any deviation from the tolerance between the sum of the current measured at the transmitter 300 and the current measured at the power receiver 500 triggers a fault flag and the C4P DC system 100 displays a fault condition. The fault condition requires the power transmitter 300 to open the switch 307 , turn on its SELV 310 , and broadcast a message to all power receivers 500 to open the switches 519 , disconnecting their respective loads 505 . After pausing for a period of time, the C4P DC system 100 will initiate the startup of the fault recovery process and return to step 720 .

[0066] The description of the process and steps included in the flowchart 200 is provided for exemplary purposes. According to other embodiments within the scope of the C4P DC system 100 described herein, the process described by the flowchart 200 may include more or fewer steps than the steps specifically described. The order of the steps may also be rearranged to achieve the same or similar effects while still remaining within the scope of the C4PDC system 100 described herein.

[0067] The following section describes the OSAs 600T and 600R included in the power transmitter 300 and the power receiver 500, respectively. The OSAs 600T and 600R provide optical communication between the power transmitter 300 and the power receiver 500. The main functions of the OSAs are to modulate and demodulate electrical signals to convert them from the electrical domain to the optical domain and vice versa, and to couple the optical signals to the optical fibers of the hybrid cable 110. Figure 2 As can be seen from the description of the flowchart 200 shown, the communication between the power transmitter 300 and the power receiver 500 may not be symmetrical. The message from the power transmitter 300 is a command transmitted to the power receiver 500, wherein the command is an instruction to cause the power receiver 500 to perform a function (such as changing a configuration, sending a configuration state, or starting initialization or operation). The message from the power receiver 500 is mainly a response to a request for such information from the power transmitter 300 and data representing the measured current and / or voltage, such as Figure 3 The communication links are shown in the block diagram.

[0068] The OSA 600T and 600R contain at least one light source, an LED or laser, a modulator and driver circuit, an optical receiver, an amplifier, and optical coupling elements that allow optical signals to propagate from the light source to the optical fiber and from the optical fiber to the optical receiver.

[0069] The amount of information shared between OSA 600T and 600R requires a data rate of less than 100Mbps, which is considered very low for state-of-the-art transceivers capable of 100Gbps per wavelength over MMF or SMF.

[0070] Therefore, even for long distances, communication between the power transmitter 300 and the power receiver 500 can be performed using the simplest, lowest cost modulation schemes such as direct modulation ("DM") of a laser (or LED) and intensity detection at a photodetector. On-off keying ("OOK") is the simplest DM / ID scheme, where the transmitted symbols represent either 0 or 1.

[0071] Due to the relatively low data transmission rates used in the communication system, the harmful effects of noise and dispersion are greatly reduced, resulting in the ability to use a larger power budget to split the signal as required by the multi-point topology. As shown in the example, a system using a low power laser, a transmit power of -6dBm, a connection loss of 2dB, an attenuation of 1dB / km, and a receiver sensitivity of 25dBm (bit error rate below 1e-12) results in a power budget of 15dB for 2km or a power budget of 7dB for 10km.

[0072] The C4P communication channels in the C4P DC system 100 may be implemented with multimode fiber ("MMF") or single mode fiber ("SMF"). However, for exemplary purposes, the present disclosure will describe the use of SMF, which is a type of fiber commonly used in applications such as Ethernet or passive optical networks, PONs or passive optical local area networks, and POLs with distances exceeding 100 meters. In these applications, the wavelength of the laser is typically in the spectral range of 1270nm-1330nm or 1530nm-1570nm. In some cases, these optical networks require online monitoring provided by an optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR), which operates in the range of 1620nm-1650nm.

[0073] Since one of the goals of the C4P DC system 100 is to share the fiber spectrum with other applications, the C4PDC system 100 targets areas of the optical spectrum that are not used by Ethernet or commonly deployed PONs. For example, the optical E-band with wavelengths of approximately 1370nm to 1450nm is less used due to the high water absorption of traditional SMFs. Current optical fibers have negligible water peaks, so this wavelength range is available using inexpensive coarse wavelength division multiplexing CWDM lasers.

[0074] Alternatively, the low data rate of the C4P signal allows the use of the short wavelength band 830nm-980nm (SWDM band) in SMF, although at these wavelengths the fiber behaves as a multimode fiber and has modal dispersion.

[0075] Figure 4AA block diagram of an exemplary OSA 600Ta that may be included in the power transmitter 300 according to some embodiments is shown. Port 601a of the OSA 600Ta receives electrical control signal data from the MCU 450T, which may have been encoded into frames. Alternatively, the encoding (and decoding) of the frames may be performed by a custom communication physical layer device (PHY) 605 or an off-the-shelf PHY (such as Ethernet or Profinet).

[0076] The MCU 450T or PHY 605 encodes / decodes data frames at a specific modulation speed and frame structure. The electrical switch 635 sends the frame from 605 to one of the two redundant driver and light source modules 640a and 640b. The light source of each module 640a and 640b operates at a central wavelength λ1a and λ1b, which meet the standard of abs(λ1a-λ1b)<20nm. The redundant light sources on the paths not selected by the switch 635 can be turned off. The optical 50% / 50% splitter / combiner 670 is used to couple the outputs of the two light sources to one optical fiber. It should be noted that although both light sources (such as lasers) in modules 640a and 640b can be biased (turned on), only one of the light sources will send data. The optical signal from the combiner is sent to the optical filter 680, which couples the outgoing signal to the optical fiber of the hybrid cable 110.

[0077] Thus, the signal from the power transmitter 300 is sent to the power receiver 500 using wavelength λ1a or λ1b. Since the available light source may fail, the FIT is better than 50, and the "1+1" redundancy of the laser (and photodetector) provided by the OSA can significantly improve the reliability of C4P fault detection provided in the C4P DC system 100. The device 680 can also direct the incoming signal at wavelength λ2a or λ2b to the 50% / 50% splitter / combiner 670, which sends the light to the optical receiver and amplifier modules 650a and 650b. Note that only one wavelength (λ2a or λ2b) will carry data from the power receiver 500. The switch 635 selects the electrical output from the module 650a or 650b and sends it to the PHY 605 for frame decoding.

[0078] Figure 4B A block diagram of an exemplary OSA 600Ra according to some embodiments is shown that may be included in the power transmitter 500. Note that the OSAs 600Ta and 600Ra are similar, but the transmit and receive wavelengths in each OSA are switched to facilitate filter 680 separation of the incoming and outgoing signals.

[0079] The OSA 600Ta and 600Ra can use low cost and low power devices (such as 10BASE-FX (10Mbps) Ethernet PHY 605) that exceed the published C4P data rate requirements (e.g., ~128Kbps) to make frame collisions in multi-point topologies negligible. However, even with such a PHY 605, most of the smallest Ethernet frame bytes (46 bytes of payload) may be unused, failing to fully benefit from the fiber bandwidth advantages or PHY chip capabilities. FIG5 and FIG7-8 illustrate alternative OSA embodiments that are intended to address these issues.

[0080] Figure 5A shows a second exemplary embodiment of an OSA 600Tb that may be included in the power transmitter 300, and Figure 5B A second exemplary embodiment of an OSA 600Rb that may be included in the power receiver 500 is shown. In these OSAs 600Tb and 600Rb, the PHY 605 is removed and a simpler frame (e.g., Fig. 6A The encoding / decoding of the frames shown in FIG. 1 is performed by the MCU 450T or 450R included in the power transmitter 300 or the power receiver 500, respectively. Note that due to the low traffic requirements and the specificity of the application, the required frames are significantly smaller than those in FIG. Figure 8B Unlike the first embodiment of the OSA (e.g., OSA 600Ta and 600Ra), the second embodiment of the OSA (e.g., OSA 600Tb and 600Rb) includes an intermediate frequency (IF) modulation / demodulation scheme to separate the load RXI at the power receiver 500. H and RXI L The current measured on the

[0081] Figure 5B An OSA 600Rb included in the power receiver 500 is shown, where one input to the frequency modulator 626 comes from a frame of the MCU 450R using ports 601Hb and 601Lb (eg, Figure 6B ), where the frame payload carries the RXI H or RXI Ldigitized value of the current in . Alternatively, the bits of the frame represent a function of two values, such as an average or a difference. The frequency modulator 626 uses modulation frequencies 610H and 610L, each in the range of 100kHz to several MHz, separated in the spectrum to avoid crosstalk. For a multi-point topology, the frequencies 610H and 610L can be tuned or specified by the power transmitter 300 to provide synchronized communication with negligible crosstalk from the power transmitter to several power receivers 500. Note that the frequency modulator 626 (as well as the modulator 625) includes a low-pass filter on the input side and a bandpass filter at the output side tuned to the IF spectrum used. The resulting IF signal is electrically combined by the combiner 630 and processed according to a similar process as described above for the first embodiment OSA600Ra.

[0082] In OSA 600Tb of power transmitter 300 , the optical signal is converted to an electrical signal as described above for OSA 600Ta. After switching 635 , the IF signal is demodulated by modulator 625 , generating a baseband signal, ie, a recovered frame from power receiver 500 .

[0083] The OSAs 600Tb and / or 600Rb can be further simplified. For example, the electrical combiner / splitter 630 can be removed from the OSA 600Tb and / or OSA 600Rb, such as Fig. 7A and Figure 7B 600Tc and OSA 600Rc. In this third embodiment, two different optical wavelengths are used to transmit data from 415H and 415L. For point-to-point topology, since the signals from 415H and 415L are transmitted using different wavelengths, IF modulators 625 and 626 are disabled. However, for multi-point topology, OSA 600c uses IF modulators 625 and 626 to separate 415H and 415L channels. Since IF modulators 625 and 626 can use different electrical frequencies, all power receivers must use the same set of wavelengths λ2a and λ2b.

[0084] Optical communication links can enable C4P to play a role in a wide range of future applications that require power and high bandwidth. However, for some applications that require further simplification of complexity and / or cost, an asymmetric system is provided according to an embodiment of the C4PDC system 100, in which the power transmitter 300 is not only responsible for the fail-safe protocol, but also controls the ADC process of the power receiver.

[0085] Fig. 8AA block diagram of a simplest configuration of a power receiver 500 is shown, where the power receiver 500 needs to connect each of the analog signals from the RXIH and RXIL sense loads to a respective voltage controlled oscillator ("VCO") 570, which converts the voltage into a pulse signal whose width is proportional to the input voltage. For example, Fig.9A A sinusoidal input signal 805 is shown encoded into a sequence 810 by the VCO 570. Fig. 9B As shown, sequence 810 can be post-decoded using an edge detector and counter circuit for the rising (or falling) edge, where output signal 820 is the output of the edge detector (pulses of similar width but different time positions), and signal 825 is the normalized signal from the counter circuit.

[0086] The proposed method simplifies the power receiver by splitting the A / D conversion into two steps: directly driving the power receiver (such as Fig. 8A and Figure 8B The voltage of the light source (as shown connected to the VCO 570 at ports 601H and 601L) is pulse width modulated, and finally digitized at the power transmitter 300 side.

[0087] Note that due to the bandwidth required for the conversion process, this method can only be effectively applied to optical communication systems with sufficient bandwidth and where the optical binary signal is less affected by noise. On the other hand, transmitting the encoded signal 810 as a baseband signal at tens or hundreds of Mbps may cause problems on power lines that are not designed for communication.

[0088] exist Figure 8B In the embodiment of the present invention, the switch 628 in OSA 600Rd is used to time-multiplex the signals from RXIH and RXIL without using a mixer (such as modulator 625 or 626 included in OSA 600Tb or 600Rb) or using an additional wavelength. The switch 628 generates a time gap ΔT between RXIH and RXIL to time-multiplex the data, thereby facilitating detection. Fig. 10A A corresponding OSA 600Td at the power transmitter 300 is also shown, using a similar switch 628 to demultiplex the signal.

[0089] This approach simplifies the OSA hardware and functionality of the power receiver 500, since most of the A / D conversion and analysis occurs in the power transmitter. In addition, the power receiver 500 does not need to implement an overloaded communication protocol that requires the generation of preambles, alignment markers, CRC, and other functions.

[0090] Fig. 10A and Fig. 10BA block diagram of exemplary OSAs (eg, a power transmitter-side OSA 600Td and a power receiver-side OSA 600Rd) according to a fourth embodiment is shown. Fig.11 An exemplary communication scheme using OSA according to a fourth embodiment is shown. In this example, the power transmitter 300 can control and communicate with sixteen (16) power receivers 500. The power transmitter 300 uses λ1a or λ1b to periodically send a request to transmit data using a specific target power receiver ID. The power receiver 500 with a matching ID sends its RXIH and RXIL sequences using an effective wavelength λ2a or λ2b with a time slot inserted between them. The power transmitter 300 decodes the information and performs the previously described (see, e.g. Figure 2 )’s security protocol and sends a request to the next power receiver. Network applications and supporting optical infrastructure

[0091] The disclosed embodiments of the power transmitter and the power receiver and the fault management power method can be implemented by Fig.12 The hybrid connection exemplified by the system 1400 shown in the figure serves various applications requiring high bandwidth over long distances, wherein the system 1400 may share some or all of the components included in the C4P DC system 100 described herein. The disclosed fault management power system verifies the system condition in real time and is therefore capable of transmitting high voltage DC or pulsed power. In the latter case, it can sense power when the high power pulse is on, unlike conventional pulsed power systems that sense power when the high power pulse is off.

[0092] In the exemplary system 1400, two transmitters 300-1 and 300-2 located in an equipment room use hybrid modules 1200a and 1200b, a hybrid patch panel 1300, and hybrid cables 200-1 and 200-2 to power remote power receivers 500-1 and 500-2.

[0093] The power transmitters 300-1 and 300-2 are connected to the module 1200a using the hybrid patch cord 212. The hybrid module 1200a is connected to the hybrid patch panel 1300, thereby enabling flexible configuration of power and data connections. The hybrid ports 1300 and 1200 (ports 1202 and 1204) can be off-the-shelf known hybrid connectors, such as IP-16 from Senko, Harting hybrid connectors, or other connectors developed for Class 4 fault management power systems. Alternatively, 1300 and 1200 can have separate ports for cables, such as Phoenix type connectors, and LC, SC or SN for optical connectors.

[0094] The hybrid module 1200 also has simplex, duplex or multi-fiber optical ports implemented by LC, SC, SN, MPO or other types of optical connectors. Here, for simplicity, we assume that the 1212 port is a simplex (one fiber) operating in both directions.

[0095] The example shows several network devices in an equipment room, such as Ethernet switches, distributed antenna systems, DAS, OLTs of different PONs, and OTDRs, which share the same hybrid cables 110-1 and 110-2 to connect to remote devices (such as switches, wireless access points, WAPs, ONTs of PONs, and antennas). As shown in the example system 1400, an external WDM multiplexer / demultiplexer located in the equipment room combines the different applications, and similar WDM devices distribute the signals to different receivers at remote locations.

[0096] On both sides of the network, WDM multiplexers / demultiplexers are connected to port 1212 using patch cord 214 (a fiber patch cord). Note that Ethernet switches traditionally use duplex optical ports 475, so an additional fiber connection (dashed line) is used from one of the Ethernet switch ports to port 1213 of module 1200.

[0097] Through this infrastructure, the power receiver 500 is connected to the power transmitter 300 to perform the aforementioned initialization and operation procedures for the fault management power system. During operation, the power receiver 500 uses the external electrical port 485 connected to the device power input 490 to transmit power to the terminal device. The ports 485 of the power receivers 500-1 and 500-2 can operate independently to feed each different network device, or can work together to combine the power output thereof. Alternatively, one power receiver (e.g., 500-1) can transmit power to all devices, and 500-2 is in a standby state to provide backup electrical power when needed.

[0098] Fig.13The internal configuration of the hybrid module 1200 is shown, and how it combines data signals from ports 1212 to 1215 (applications) and signals from 1202 and 1204 (monitoring and control signals of 300 and 500). Inside 1200, the power line 1220 and the optical fiber 1225 from port 1202 are separated, and the optical fiber is connected to a port (port x) of a WDM multiplexer / demultiplexer 1230. This port can only transmit and receive wavelengths λ1a, λ1b, λ2a or λ2b as previously described for control and monitoring signals. The application signals from ports 1212 and 1213 are connected to port y of the same WDM 1230, which is transparent to any wavelength except λ1A, λ1B, λ2A or λ2B. The output z of the WDM 1230 (combining / splitting the signals from port x and port y) is connected to port 1206. Similarly, from the second hybrid port 1204 , the optical fiber (dashed line) is combined with the signals from 1214 and 1215 using a second WDM 1230 that directs signal 1208 .

[0099] The hybrid module 1200 may be implemented in different form factors to enable flexible connections using different types of hybrid cables. Fig.12 and Fig.13 The modules shown can provide "1+1" redundancy, where the system can recover from the failure of one power transmitter 300, one receiver 500, or one hybrid cable 110.

[0100] Fig.14A An example of a multi-point topology is shown, where one or more power transmitters 300 deliver power to multiple power receivers 500 using a hybrid coupler / splitter 1401 and several hybrid cables 110 .

[0101] In this topology, the communication of data and control signals between the power transmitter 300 and the power receiver 500 uses a set of wavelengths (λ1a, λ1b, λ2a and λ2b) on one optical fiber of the series-connected hybrid cable segments 110-1 to 110-16 using a hybrid coupler / splitter 1401. In this multi-point network, which includes a segment of a hybrid cable 110 having at least two or more electrical conductors and one optical fiber and a hybrid coupler / splitter 1400, the power transmitter 300 is connected to the power receiver 500 to perform the initialization and operation of the aforementioned fault management power system.

[0102] Fig. 14BThe internal configuration of hybrid coupler / splitter 1401 is shown. In these devices, the optical fiber from hybrid port 1402 is connected to WDM optical splitter 1430, which transmits a portion of the optical power at a set of wavelengths (λ1a, λ1b, λ2a, and λ2b) to port 1406 and couples a small portion of the signal from port 1402 to port 1408. For any other wavelength (wavelengths used for Ethernet, PON, or other applications), WDM optical splitter 1430 can ideally transmit all power from port 1402 to port 1406. Response time and instant verification method using switched reference load

[0103] For fault management power systems, especially Class 4 power, the response time, consisting of the time required to detect a potential fault and react by disconnecting the transmitted power, must be within a preset value. In other words, the response time must be shorter than the maximum safe exposure time for a given current, as described earlier. Since many safety standards are used in estimating the impact of surge current on the human body, the response time described in UL 1400-1 and described in the UL 1400-1 can be measured according to a set of segmented curves (and limiting equations). Fig.15A The maximum exposure current shown in Fig.15A As can be seen from the portion 180 of the maximum exposure time versus human body current graph, exposure times in the range of 4 milliseconds to 20 milliseconds corresponding to known or predicted heart rate critical ranges are limited to a maximum current of 300 mA. Assuming a human body impedance of 575 ohms, Fig. 15B The time-voltage graph shown shows that at the maximum voltage for a given exposure, there is a region where a sharp decline occurs 185. For example, when the voltage value is slightly above 431V, the maximum exposure time is 4 milliseconds, while when the voltage value is equal to or below ~431V, the maximum exposure time can increase to 20.9 milliseconds.

[0104] The longer the exposure time, the more relaxed the operation and hardware speed of the fault detection system. Therefore, at least two operation modes can be used in the present disclosure, one with a maximum voltage of 430V and a maximum exposure time of about 20 milliseconds, which can be used to provide a multi-point topology for a large number of users; and another with a voltage of 450V and a maximum exposure time of less than 4 milliseconds, which can transmit 10% more power.

[0105] In both operating situations, the degree of safety of the described fault detection system depends on the uncertainty or reliable predictability level provided by the sensor and ADC. In the previous section, we described the equipment and methods for sensing and digitizing. These methods are prone to errors if the load, 415R amplifier or digitizer (e.g., ADC 420R) changes unexpectedly or is damaged. In this disclosure, we propose to use one or more switched reference loads 520 to calibrate or verify the system.

[0106] During operation, the switched reference load 520 is switched on and off at specific time intervals (eg, verification period Tv) due to Given a change in load impedance, the current in the system will change slightly by ΔI, where Rref is the impedance of the switched reference load 520 and R L is the load 505 of the power receiver. During operation, if all sensors measure the same change in current ΔI (within a specified tolerance), the sensing and digitizing hardware of the power receiver 500 is verified. Note that this occurs while the power transmitter is delivering power, as very small changes in the amount of power delivered can be achieved by using a high impedance Rref (e.g. 20,000 ohms). If the verification test fails, the power transmitter should be started Figure 2 The fault recovery procedure is described in the flowchart 200 shown.

[0107] Using one or more switched reference loads 520 may improve the accuracy of the verification and capture more information about the system at the expense of increased receiver complexity.

[0108] Fig.16 An exemplary cycle diagram of how the C4P DC system 100 implements instant verification is shown. In this example, the power transmitter 300 commands the power receiver 500 to periodically turn on and off the reference load 520, thereby performing multiple verifications of duration Tv within one measurement cycle. In other implementations not shown in the figure, the power transmitter 300 can request a non-periodic change of the reference load, or extend the verification cycle to make it longer than the measurement cycle.

[0109] The present invention discloses a fault management power system for pulsed or DC power transmission, which uses an optical fiber link to communicate between a power transmitter and a power receiver, wherein optical signals transmit control and monitoring data to / from the mentioned power transmitter and power receiver, wherein the optical fiber used is made of glass or plastic, wherein the optical fiber operates in a multimode or single mode regime and utilizes one or two wavelengths to transmit and receive information, wherein both systems are designed to verify and cover single fault conditions in safety critical circuits.

[0110] The fault management power system may be configured to meet the requirements of a Class 4 power system and / or comply with UL Standard 1400-1.

[0111] The fault management power system may be configured so that the optical fiber is also used to transmit data from other network devices.

[0112] Fault management power systems may be configured to allow point-to-point or multi-point topologies for power transfer.

[0113] The fault-managed power system may be configured to use a switched reference impedance to verify the accuracy of the system during operation.

[0114] The fault management power system may be configured such that at least 10 km of error-free communication is possible between the power transmitter and the receiver via optical fiber.

[0115] The fault management power system may be configured such that it performs a 2 kW power transfer.

[0116] The fault management power system may be configured such that the power receiver encodes the measured electrical parameter using a voltage controlled oscillator and transmits a pulse width modulated signal to the power transmitter where the pulse width is converted to a digital value.

[0117] The fault management power system may be configured such that it transmits pulsed power and wherein fault sensing is performed while the pulsed power is being transmitted.

[0118] The present invention discloses a fault management power management method for a power transmission system, the method comprising analyzing measurements from at least four redundant circuits that sense and digitize electrical parameters such as voltage and current, wherein the sensing and digitizing circuits are distributed between a power transmitter and a power receiver, the power transmitter and the power receiver communicate over an optical fiber using optical signals, wherein the difference between the electrical parameters measured at the power transmitter side and the power receiver side is verified at intervals of less than 20 milliseconds, wherein power transmission is stopped when the different measurements of the electrical parameters from each sensor exceed a specified tolerance limit.

[0119] According to the fault management power management method, the power receiver can use a voltage controlled oscillator to encode the measured electrical parameter and send a pulse width modulated signal to the power transmitter where the pulse width is converted into a digital value.

[0120] According to the fault management power management method, analog-to-digital conversion of a signal measured at a power receiver may be performed at a power transmitter.

[0121] Depending on the fault management power management approach, point-to-point or multi-point topologies for power transfer may be allowed.

[0122] According to the fault management power management method, a switched reference impedance can be used during operation to verify the accuracy of the system.

[0123] According to the fault management power management method, at least 10 km of error-free communication can be achieved between the power transmitter and the receiver through the optical fiber.

[0124] According to the fault management power management method, the power transfer system can achieve 2kW of power transfer.

[0125] The present invention discloses a fault managed power system for pulsed or DC electrical power transmission over a hybrid (optical / electrical) network, wherein the control and monitoring signals of the system utilize a small portion of the light spectrum, wherein the optical fiber used is made of glass or plastic and is designed to operate in multimode or single mode, wherein the system is designed for two-way communication, such as sending and receiving information on the same optical fiber using one or two wavelengths, wherein both systems are designed to verify and cover single fault conditions in safety critical circuits.

[0126] Optical fiber can also be used to transmit data from other network devices, depending on the fault management power system used for pulsed or DC electrical power transmission over a hybrid (optical / electrical) network.

[0127] According to the fault management power system for pulsed or DC electrical power transmission over a hybrid (optical / electrical) network, an optical fiber may have multiple cores, each of which is capable of transmitting an optical signal.

[0128] According to the fault managed power system for pulsed or DC electrical power transmission over a hybrid (optical / electrical) network, point-to-point or multi-point topologies for power transfer are allowed.

[0129] According to the invention, a fault management power system for pulsed or DC electrical power transmission on a hybrid (optical / electrical) network can be used to verify the accuracy of the system during operation using a switched reference impedance.

[0130] The present invention discloses an optical fiber hybrid module for a fault management power system, the module comprising a main body, a front side, a rear side, a left side and a right side, wherein: the front side accommodates a plurality of hybrid (electrical / optical) connectors, the rear side accommodates a plurality of hybrid (electrical / optical) connectors, which include internal electrical conductors and optical fibers, wherein the electrical conductors of the input and output hybrid ports of the module are connected to the internal conductors of the module, and wherein the (multiple) optical fibers of the input and output hybrid ports are connected to the (multiple) internal optical fibers of the module, the module device comprises at least a wavelength division multiplexer / demultiplexer, which is designed to redirect a narrow and usually unused spectral region of a signal propagating in an internal optical fiber to another internal optical fiber, the spectral region being used by the fault management power system, and the module device comprises at least the above-mentioned wavelength division multiplexer / demultiplexer for combining, isolating or splitting the optical signals used by the fault management power system with the optical signals used by other communication systems.

[0131] The present invention discloses a fault managed power system using modules of optical wavelength selective couplers utilizing small portions of the optical spectrum over a hybrid optical network, wherein optical signals transmit control and monitoring data to / from said power transmitters and power receivers, wherein the optical fiber used is made of glass or plastic, wherein the optical fiber operates in multimode or single mode and utilizes one or two wavelengths to transmit and receive information, and wherein the system is designed to verify and cover single fault conditions in safety critical circuits.

[0132] Depending on the fault management power system, optical fiber can also be used to transmit data from other network devices.

[0133] Depending on the fault management power system, point-to-point or multi-point topology for power transfer may be allowed.

[0134] Therefore, the present disclosure describes systems, devices, and methods for implementing 4-level fault management DC power systems related to the above-mentioned existing methods. As will be apparent from the foregoing, various non-limiting embodiments of systems, devices, and methods for implementing 4-level fault management DC power systems have been described. Although various embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, they are merely exemplary, and these embodiments are not intended to illustrate and describe all possibilities. On the contrary, the words used herein are descriptive rather than limiting, and it should be understood that various changes can be made to these embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A power transmitter included in a fault management power system, the power transmitter comprising: processor; as well as a memory in communication with the processor, the memory containing executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: controlling a power switch to disconnect the power transmitter from a power source during a system initialization mode; controlling a low power switch to connect a low power source and power the optical subassembly; determining whether at least one optical fiber port and at least one electrical port are connected to a predetermined condition of the hybrid cable, and controlling the optical data interface to transmit a connection request to the power receiver based on the determination; receiving, by the optical subassembly from the power receiver, a reply to the connection request, the reply being transmitted via an optical fiber included in a hybrid cable; receiving, by the optical subassembly, a diagnostic message from the power receiver, the diagnostic message being transmitted via the optical fiber included in the hybrid cable; Perform fault detection tests; determining whether a power transfer condition is satisfied based at least on the diagnostic message and the fault detection test; as well as Transmission of high voltage power to the power receiver is controlled based on the determination, the high voltage power being transmitted through a conductor included in the hybrid cable.

2. The power transmitter of claim 1 , wherein the memory further comprises executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: If no reply is received from the power receiver within a predetermined amount of time, then it is determined that the system initialization mode has failed.

3. The power transmitter according to claim 1, characterized in that The diagnostic message received from the power receiver includes current sensing data obtained from a current sensing circuit from the power receiver.

4. The power transmitter of claim 1 , wherein the memory further comprises executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to implement a test tester program to: obtaining current sensing data corresponding to the power transmitter from a current sensing circuit included in the power transmitter; obtaining current sensing data corresponding to the power receiver from the diagnostic message received from the power receiver; analyzing the current sensing data corresponding to the power transmitter and the current sensing data corresponding to the power receiver; as well as Based at least on the fault detection test and an analysis of the current sensing data corresponding to the power transmitter and the current sensing data corresponding to the power receiver, it is determined whether the power transfer condition is satisfied.

5. The power transmitter according to claim 4, characterized in that: The power transmitter is configured to analyze the current sensing data corresponding to the power transmitter and the current sensing data corresponding to the power receiver to determine fault detection when a difference between a current sensed in the power transmitter and a current sensed in the power receiver is greater than a predetermined tolerance limit.

6. The power transmitter according to claim 4, characterized in that: The power transmitter is configured to analyze the current sensing data corresponding to the power transmitter and the current sensing data corresponding to the power receiver at intervals of at least 20 ms or less.

7. The power transmitter according to claim 4, characterized in that: The power transmitter is configured to analyze the current sensing data corresponding to the power transmitter and the current sensing data corresponding to the power receiver at intervals between 4 ms and 20 ms.

8. The power transmitter according to claim 1, characterized in that: The diagnostic message received from the power receiver is a digital signal encoded using pulse width modulation.

9. The power transmitter of claim 1 , wherein the memory further comprises executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: Communications are received from a remote network device via the optical subassembly.

10. The power transmitter according to claim 1, characterized in that: The power transmitter is included in a point-to-point power transfer topology.

11. The power transmitter according to claim 1, characterized in that: The power transmitter is included in a multi-point power transfer topology.

12. The power transmitter according to claim 1, characterized in that: The power transmitter is configured to transmit at least 2 kW of power through the hybrid cable.

13. The power transmitter of claim 1 , wherein the memory further comprises executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: The fault detection test is performed while delivering the high voltage power.

14. The power transmitter according to claim 1, characterized in that: The power transmitter is configured to control transmission of the high voltage power in the form of pulse power.

15. The power transmitter according to claim 1, characterized in that: The power transmitter is configured to control transmission of the high voltage power in the form of direct current power.

16. The power transmitter according to claim 1, characterized in that: The optical subassembly includes a wavelength division multiplexer / demultiplexer configured to transmit a signal at a predetermined dedicated wavelength within the optical fiber of the hybrid cable to the power receiver.

17. A fault management power system comprising: A power transmitter, the power transmitter being configured to: controlling a power switch to disconnect the power transmitter from a power source during a system initialization mode; controlling the low power switch to connect the low power source and power the first optical subassembly; determining whether at least one optical fiber port and at least one electrical port are connected to a predetermined condition of the hybrid cable, and controlling the optical data interface to transmit a connection request based on the determination; receiving, via the optical subassembly, a reply to the connection request; receiving a diagnostic message via the optical subassembly; Perform fault detection tests; as well as determining whether a power transfer condition is satisfied based at least on the diagnostic message and the fault detection test, and controlling the transfer of high voltage power based on the determination; A power receiver, the power receiver being configured to: receiving the connection request from the power transmitter via a second optical subassembly; transmitting the reply to the connection request to the power transmitter via the second optical subassembly; obtaining current sensing data corresponding to the power receiver from a current sensing circuit included in the power receiver; transmitting the diagnostic message to the power transmitter via the second optical subassembly, the diagnostic message including the current sensing data corresponding to the power receiver; as well as receiving the high voltage power from the power transmitter; as well as A hybrid cable comprising both optical fibers and conductive wires, the hybrid cable coupled to the power transmitter and the power receiver, and wherein the first optical subassembly is configured to communicate with the second optical subassembly using the optical fibers, and wherein the high voltage power is transmitted using the conductive wires.

18. The fault management power system of claim 17, wherein: The power receiver is further configured to: The diagnostic message is encoded into a digital signal using pulse width modulation encoding.

19. The fault management power system of claim 17, wherein: Wherein the power transmitter is further configured to implement a test tester process to: obtaining current sensing data corresponding to the power transmitter from a current sensing circuit included in the power transmitter; obtaining current sensing data corresponding to the power receiver from the diagnostic message; analyzing the current sensing data corresponding to the power transmitter and the current sensing data corresponding to the power receiver; as well as Whether the power transfer condition is satisfied is determined based at least on the fault detection test and an analysis of the current sensing data corresponding to the power transmitter and the current sensing data corresponding to the power receiver.

20. The fault management power system of claim 17, wherein: The power transmitter is further configured as follows: The fault detection test is performed while delivering the high voltage power.

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