Equipment supporting power over Ethernet function and power supply control method thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses equipment supporting a power over Ethernet function and a power supply control method thereof. The equipment comprises a signal processing module, a PoE control module and a main controller. The PoE control module is used for determining whether to start the PoE function according to the PoE control signal, and when the PoE control module receives the enabled PoE control signal, the PoE function is started to generate a direct-current power supply and apply the direct-current power supply to the second electric signal. The main controller sends a corresponding PoE control signal to control the operation of the PoE control module according to a first state signal indicating the connection state of the optical signal and a second state signal indicating the signal strength of the optical signal. When the first state signal and the second state signal received by the main controller are enabled at the same time, an enabled PoE control signal is generated to enable the PoE function.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to a signal exchange device and a control method thereof, and more particularly to a device supporting power over Ethernet (PoE) function and a power supply control method thereof. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the existing network infrastructure, the power over Ethernet (PoE) technology has been widely applied to simultaneously transmit data and power through Ethernet cable to support terminal devices such as IP cameras, wireless base stations and network phones, so that the terminal devices can have better location selection flexibility in the layout.

[0003] However, the existing PoE system has several potential problems. For example, in a general system with PoE function, the core network device providing power through the Ethernet cable will continuously provide power to the Ethernet connection interface connected to the terminal device in the starting state (i.e., the default starting PoE function). In this case, even if the core network device cannot normally transmit data to the terminal device at the back end, it will not stop providing power to the terminal device through the Ethernet port. At this time, the user of the terminal device may observe the device failure state, but cannot confirm the cause of the failure.

[0004] For troubleshooting, the failure state of the terminal device can be caused by different problems in the system, such as the failure of the terminal device or the core network device itself, the incorrect connection or disconnection of the front-end optical fiber cable of the core network device, or the mismatch of the optical-electric conversion module specification of the core network device, etc. The system supplier needs to check and confirm one by one, which consumes manpower and time cost.

[0005] In addition, in the traditional PoE control mechanism, since the core network device will continue to supply power to the terminal device when the terminal device fails, it has an adverse effect on the energy saving consideration of the overall system. SUMMARY

[0006] The present application proposes a device supporting power over Ethernet (PoE) function (also referred to as a device supporting power over Ethernet function) and a power supply control method thereof, which can solve the problems described in the prior art.

[0007] The embodiment of the present application provides a device supporting PoE function, which is suitable for converting a first electrical signal related to an optical signal into a second electrical signal supporting Ethernet data transmission and providing the second electrical signal to a corresponding terminal device through at least one Ethernet port. The device comprises a signal processing module, a PoE control module and a main controller. The signal processing module is used to receive the first electrical signal and convert the first electrical signal into the second electrical signal. The PoE control module is used to determine whether to enable the PoE function according to a PoE control signal, wherein when the PoE control module receives an enabled PoE control signal, the PoE function is enabled, and direct current power is generated and applied to the second electrical signal, so that the second electrical signal with the direct current power is provided to the corresponding Ethernet port; and when the PoE control module receives a disabled PoE control signal, the PoE function is disabled, and the generation of the direct current power is stopped. The main controller is electrically connected to the signal processing module and the PoE control module, and is used to send a corresponding PoE control signal to control the operation of the PoE control module according to a first state signal indicating the connection state of the optical signal and a second state signal indicating the signal strength of the optical signal. When the first state signal and the second state signal received by the main controller are both enabled, the enabled PoE control signal is generated to enable the PoE function.

[0008] The embodiment of the present application provides a device supporting PoE function, which is suitable for converting a first electrical signal related to an optical signal into a second electrical signal supporting Ethernet data transmission and providing the second electrical signal to a corresponding terminal device through at least one Ethernet port. The device comprises a signal processing module, a PoE control module and a main controller. The signal processing module is used to receive the first electrical signal and convert the first electrical signal into the second electrical signal. The PoE control module is used to determine whether to enable the PoE function according to a PoE control signal, wherein when the PoE control module receives an enabled PoE control signal, the PoE function is enabled, and direct current power is generated and applied to the second electrical signal, so that the second electrical signal with the direct current power is provided to the corresponding Ethernet port; and when the PoE control module receives a disabled PoE control signal, the PoE function is disabled, and the generation of the direct current power is stopped. The main controller is electrically connected to the signal processing module and the PoE control module, and is used to send a corresponding PoE control signal to control the operation of the PoE control module according to a first state signal indicating the connection state of the optical signal and a second state signal indicating the signal strength of the optical signal. When the first state signal and the second state signal received by the main controller are both enabled, the enabled PoE control signal is generated to enable the PoE function.

[0009] A power supply control method for a device supporting PoE function, comprising the steps of: receiving an optical signal with an optical-electric conversion module and converting the optical signal into a first electric signal; receiving the first electric signal with a signal processing module and converting the first electric signal into a second electric signal supporting Ethernet data transmission; judging whether the optical signal is lost and generating a first status signal accordingly; judging whether the signal processing module successfully establishes a connection with the optical-electric conversion module and generating a second status signal accordingly; judging whether the difference between the signal strength of the optical signal and the receiving sensitivity of the optical-electric conversion module is greater than or equal to 1dBm and generating a third status signal accordingly; and determining whether to enable the PoE function according to the first to third status signals, wherein when the PoE function is enabled, a direct current power supply is generated and applied to the second electric signal. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0010] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the prior art, the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments or prior art description will be briefly introduced. Obviously, the drawings in the following description only represent some embodiments of the present application, and those skilled in the art can also obtain other drawings according to these drawings without any creative effort.

[0011] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a device supporting Ethernet power supply function and a system thereof according to some embodiments of the present application;

[0012] Figure 2A And Figure 2B A step flow chart of a power supply control method for a device supporting Ethernet power supply function according to different embodiments of the present application; and

[0013] Figure 3 A specific step flow chart of a power supply control method according to some embodiments of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] In order to make the features and advantages of the present application more apparent, specific embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following description contains specific information relating to exemplary embodiments in the present application. The drawings and the accompanying detailed description in the present application are only exemplary embodiments. However, the present application is not limited to these exemplary embodiments. Those skilled in the art will think of other variations and embodiments of the present application. Unless otherwise specified, the same or corresponding components in the drawings can be indicated by the same or corresponding reference numerals. In addition, the drawings and examples in the present application are generally not drawn to scale, and are not intended to correspond to the actual relative sizes.

[0015] For the purposes of consistency and ease of understanding, the same features are indicated by reference numerals in the exemplary drawings (although not in some examples). However, features in different embodiments may differ in other respects, and therefore should not be narrowly limited to the features shown in the drawings.

[0016] The terms "first," "second," and "third," etc., used in the specification and accompanying drawings of this application are used to distinguish different objects, areas, levels, or steps, and are not used to describe a specific order (unless otherwise specified in the scope of the patent application). The same terms "first," "second," and "third" may have different correspondences and meanings between different embodiments, and the actual elements they refer to depend on the context. Furthermore, the term "comprising" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. The term "consisting of..." is interpreted as exclusive inclusion, meaning that any additional structural configuration and / or material addition is not within the scope of this term. However, those skilled in the art should understand that in actual testing, any material may be subject to unintended contamination or doped with trace impurities. These detected trace impurities do not substantially affect the material, properties, and / or structure defined by the term, and therefore do not fall under the category of additional structural and / or material additions, as stated herein.

[0017] The terms "connection" or "coupling" used in this application do not imply that there can be no spaced objects between objects. That is, the connection or coupling between two objects can mean that the two objects are directly connected / coupled to each other, or that they are connected / coupled to each other through other objects.

[0018] In all descriptions relating to specific numerical values ​​in this application, although not explicitly stated, they all contain the meaning of "approximately" or "substantially," meaning that these specific numerical values ​​will cover a possible range of numerical error to indicate possible unintended effects and deviations in the process or material selection. The range of numerical error may include numerical changes that do not significantly alter the material structure, properties, or effects, such as a deviation of 0% to 10%, which is clear to those skilled in the art.

[0019] The spatial relationships mentioned in this application, such as "above", "below", "upward", "downward", "to the left", "to the right", etc., are all exemplary descriptions based on the relative positions presented in the diagrams and are not intended to limit the actual configuration of the material structure.

[0020] Figure 1This is a system diagram illustrating a device (also called an apparatus) and its application that supports Power over Ethernet (PoE) functionality according to some embodiments of this application. The PoE-enabled apparatus 100 in this embodiment may be, for example, a PoE switch, a PoE router, or a PoE media converter. Figure 1 The illustration uses a PoE media converter for fiber-to-Ethernet networks as an example (hereinafter referred to as "media converter 100"), but this application is not limited thereto.

[0021] Please refer to Figure 1 In the network system architecture using the media converter 100, the media converter 100 has fiber optic interfaces Fp_1 to Fp_m and Ethernet interfaces Rp_1 to Rp_n. The media converter 100 can be electrically connected to the fiber optic network device 10 via the fiber optic interfaces Fp_1 to Fp_m, and can be electrically connected to the terminal devices 20_1 to 20_n via the Ethernet interfaces Rp_1 to Rp_n, where m and n ≥ 1 and are natural numbers. That is, the media converter 100 can have one or more fiber optic interfaces Fp_1 to Fp_m and Ethernet interfaces Rp_1 to Rp_n, and the number of m and n can be the same or different.

[0022] The fiber optic network device 10 may be, for example, a fiber optic switch, a fiber optic router, a fiber optic network terminal (ONT), or a network operator's fiber optic infrastructure. The terminal devices 20_1 to 20_n may be, for example, IP cameras, wireless base stations, VoIP phones, etc. This application is not limited to these.

[0023] The media converter 100 can be used to convert optical signals received from fiber optic interfaces Fp_1 to Fp_m into electrical signals Spd1 to Spdn that support Ethernet data transmission, and transmit them to the corresponding terminal devices 20_1 to 20_n through Ethernet connection interfaces Rp_1 to Rp_n. In addition to signal conversion and switching, the media converter 100 generates DC power (e.g., 48V to 57V) and applies it to the electrical signals Spd1 to Spdn when its PoE function is enabled, so that the electrical signals Spd1 to Spdn with DC power are transmitted to the terminal devices 20_1 to 20_n through the Ethernet interfaces Rp_1 to Rp_n and power the terminal devices 20_1 to 20_n.

[0024] In some embodiments, from a power supply perspective, the media converter 100 may be electrically connected to a local physical power supply (not shown) and generate the DC power required for the PoE function based on the power supplied by the power supply. Therefore, in the system of this embodiment, the media converter 100 can be regarded as a power sourcing equipment (PSE) and the terminal devices 20_1 to 20_n can be regarded as powered devices (PDs).

[0025] The media converter 100 in this embodiment includes a photoelectric conversion module 110, a signal processing module 120, a PoE control module 130, and a main controller 140. The photoelectric conversion module 110 is electrically connected to the fiber optic network device 10 via fiber optic interfaces Fp_1 to Fp_m and fiber optic cables. The signal processing module 120 is electrically connected to terminal devices 20_1 to 20_n via Ethernet connection interfaces Rp_1 to Rp_n and Ethernet cables, with one end electrically connected to the photoelectric conversion module 110. One end of the PoE control module 130 is electrically connected to the signal processing module 120, and the other end is electrically connected to the main controller 140. The main controller 140 is electrically connected to the photoelectric conversion module 110, the signal processing module 120, and the PoE control module 130.

[0026] Specifically, taking an example where m and n are both 1 (but this application is not limited to this), the photoelectric conversion module 110 is used to receive the optical signal Sopt from the optical fiber interface Fp_1 and convert the optical signal Sopt into the electrical signal Se. The photoelectric conversion module 110 may be, for example, one or more small pluggable optical fiber modules (or SFP modules), but this application is not limited to this.

[0027] In this embodiment, the photoelectric conversion module 110 also generates a corresponding indication signal Slos based on whether the optical signal Spt is lost. When the photoelectric conversion module 110 determines that the optical signal Spt is lost, it generates a disabled indication signal Slos (e.g., a high logic level (high level) / 1 signal) to indicate that the optical signal Spt is lost; conversely, when the photoelectric conversion module 110 determines that the optical signal Spt is not lost, it generates an enabled indication signal Slos (e.g., a low logic level (low level) / 0 signal) to indicate that the optical signal Spt is received normally.

[0028] The signal processing module 120 is used to receive the electrical signal Se emitted by the photoelectric conversion module 110 and convert the electrical signal Se into an electrical signal Spd1 that supports Ethernet data transmission. The signal processing module 120 may be, for example, an Ethernet switch controller or a large integrated circuit with the same or similar functions, and this application is not limited thereto.

[0029] In this embodiment, the signal processing module 120 can determine whether a connection has been successfully established with the photoelectric conversion module 110 based on the received electrical signal Se, and generate a corresponding indication signal Slks accordingly. When the signal processing module 120 determines that a connection has been successfully established with the photoelectric conversion module 110, it will generate an enable indication signal Slks (e.g., a high logic level / 1 signal); conversely, when the signal processing module 120 determines that the connection with the photoelectric conversion module 110 has failed to be established or is still in the process of being established, it will generate a disable indication signal Slks (e.g., a low logic level / 0 signal).

[0030] The PoE control module 130 determines whether to enable the PoE function based on the PoE control signal Spc received from the main controller 140. When the PoE control module 130 receives an enable PoE control signal (e.g., a high logic level / 1 signal), it enables the PoE function and generates a DC power supply Pdc, which is applied to the electrical signal Spd1. Conversely, when the PoE control module 130 receives a disable PoE control signal (e.g., a low logic level / 0 signal), it disables the PoE function and stops generating the DC power supply Pdc.

[0031] The main controller 140, acting as the control core of the media converter 100, controls the operation of the signal processing module 120 and the PoE control module 130. The controller 140 determines whether to issue an enable PoE control signal Spc based on the state / signal characteristics of the optical signal Sopt received by the media controller 100, thereby controlling the activation or deactivation of the PoE function. This ensures that power is only supplied to the terminal device 20_1 when the system is functioning normally, avoiding power waste. In other words, compared to traditional PoE control mechanisms that continuously supply power regardless of whether the terminal device malfunctions, the media converter 100 and its power supply control method in this embodiment effectively make the overall system operation more energy-efficient.

[0032] In some embodiments, the main controller 140 may simultaneously use multiple status signals as the basis for determining whether to issue an enabling PoE control signal Spc. For example, the main controller 140 may use an indication signal Slos indicating whether the optical signal Sopt has been lost and an indication signal Slks indicating whether the signal conversion module 120 has successfully established a connection with the photoelectric conversion module 110 as the first status signal St1 and the second status signal St2, respectively. The main controller 140 may issue the enabling PoE control signal Spc to enable the PoE function only when the first status signal St1 and the second status signal St2 are both enabled (i.e., the indication signal Slos indicates that the optical signal Sopt has not been lost, and the indication signal Slks indicates that the connection has been successfully established). In other words, in this example embodiment, the PoE function will be disabled as long as either the first status signal St1 or the second status signal St2 indicating the connection status of the optical signal Sopt is disabled.

[0033] Through this judgment mechanism, the media converter 100 will only supply power to the downstream terminal devices 20_1 to 20_n if the fiber optic cable is correctly connected / not disconnected, and the specifications of the photoelectric conversion module 110 and the signal conversion module 120 are compatible. Under this judgment mechanism, even if the fiber optic cable is correctly connected, if the specifications of the photoelectric conversion module 110 are incompatible, the media converter 100 will stop supplying power to the terminal devices 20_1 to 20_n.

[0034] If the PoE function is enabled solely based on the indicator signal Slos, the media converter 100 will still supply power to the terminal devices 20_1 to 20_n even if the fiber optic cable is correctly connected but the specifications of the optoelectronic conversion module 110 are incompatible. Thus, end users or maintenance personnel will only observe that the terminal devices are powered on but cannot be used normally, requiring them to troubleshoot the fault at each node in the system. In contrast, with the judgment mechanism of the above example embodiment, the media converter 100 will directly stop supplying power when the specifications of the optoelectronic conversion module 110 are incompatible. Therefore, end users or maintenance personnel can directly narrow down the scope of troubleshooting to components related to the PoE function, such as checking the operation / power status of the media converter 100, the connection status of the fiber optic cable, and the specifications of the optoelectronic conversion module 110, thus eliminating most problems and improving the efficiency of troubleshooting and maintenance.

[0035] In some embodiments, the main controller 140 may further use a third state signal St3, which indicates the signal strength of the optical signal Sopt received by the photoelectric conversion module 110, as the basis for determining whether to issue an enable PoE control signal Spc.

[0036] More specifically, the third state signal St3 can indicate whether the signal strength of the optical signal Sopt is greater than the receiving sensitivity of the photoelectric conversion module 110. If the signal strength of the optical signal Sopt exceeds the receiving sensitivity by a certain value, the third state signal St3 is enabled; conversely, if the signal strength of the optical signal Sopt does not exceed the receiving sensitivity by a certain value, the third state signal St3 is disabled. In some embodiments, the set value may be, for example, 1 dBm, meaning that the third state signal St3 is enabled when the signal strength of the optical signal Sopt is greater than or equal to the receiving sensitivity by more than 1 dBm, but this application is not limited to this.

[0037] In this example embodiment, the main controller 140 may issue an enabling PoE control signal Spc to enable the PoE function only when the first state signal St1, the second state signal St2, and the third state signal St3 are all enabled (i.e., the indicator signal Slos indicates that the optical signal Sopt has not been lost, the indicator signal Slks indicates that the connection has been successfully established, and...). In other words, in this example embodiment, the PoE function will be disabled as long as any one of the first state signal St1 and the second state signal St2, which indicate the connection status of the optical signal Sopt, and the third state signal St3, which indicates the signal strength of the optical signal Sopt, is disabled.

[0038] Through this judgment mechanism, the media converter 100 will only supply power to the downstream terminal devices 20_1 to 20_n under the following conditions: the fiber optic cable is correctly connected / not disconnected, the specifications of the photoelectric conversion module 110 and the signal conversion module 120 are matched, and the signal strength of the optical signal Sopt is higher than the receiving sensitivity of the photoelectric conversion module 110. Under this judgment mechanism, even if the fiber optic cable is correctly connected and the specifications of the photoelectric conversion module 110 are matched, the media converter 100 will stop supplying power to the terminal devices 20_1 to 20_n if the specifications of the photoelectric conversion module 110 (e.g., optical wavelength) are not set correctly.

[0039] Similar to the advantages of the previous example embodiment, this example embodiment further adds optical signal strength as a basis for determining PoE activation, which can further improve the accuracy and reliability of the determination. More specifically, in the determination mechanism of the previous example embodiment, if the specifications (e.g., optical wavelength) of the photoelectric conversion module 110 are not set correctly, causing the signal strength of the optical signal Sopt to approach or fall below the receiving sensitivity of the photoelectric conversion module 110, the indicator signal Slks may change instantaneously, causing repeated activation / deactivation of the PoE function. Terminal devices 20_1 to 20_n may then observe repeated connection failures. Therefore, the determination mechanism of the newly added third state signal St3 in this example embodiment can further avoid this problem, thereby further improving the accuracy of the determination.

[0040] Those skilled in the art to which this application pertains should understand, after referring to the description of the above embodiments, that the scope disclosed in this application also includes the main controller 140 making a determination on whether to enable the PoE function based on at least two of the first to third state signals St1 to St3, which can improve the accuracy of the determination and avoid power waste.

[0041] In other words, the main controller 140 may also use the first state signal St1 (indicating whether the optical signal Sopt is lost) and the third state signal St3 (indicating whether the optical signal strength exceeds the receiving sensitivity of the photoelectric conversion module 110), or the second state signal St2 (indicating whether the signal conversion module 120 and the photoelectric conversion module 110 have successfully established a connection) and the third state signal as the basis for determining whether to issue an enable PoE control signal. This application is not limited to these.

[0042] It should also be noted that although the above embodiments are described using a media converter as an example, this application is not limited to this. Therefore, the components included in device 100 will vary depending on the type, and it is not necessarily possible to include all the components described above in hardware. For example, if device 100 is a PoE switch, then the photoelectric conversion module 110 can be a standalone SFP module. That is, in this case, device 100 can be considered as not including the photoelectric conversion module 110, but only including the signal conversion module 120, the PoE control module 130, and the main controller 140. This will be stated in advance.

[0043] Next Figure 2A and Figure 2B This section describes the steps and flow of power supply control methods for devices that support PoE functionality. Figure 2A and Figure 2B This is a flowchart illustrating the steps of a power supply control method for a device supporting Power over Ethernet (PoE) functionality, according to different embodiments of this application.

[0044] Please refer to the matching instructions. Figure 1 and Figure 2A The power supply control method of this embodiment includes the following steps: receiving an optical signal Sopt by a photoelectric conversion module 110 and converting the optical signal Sopt into a first electrical signal Se (step S110); receiving the first electrical signal Se by a signal processing module 120 and converting the first electrical signal Se into a second electrical signal Spd_1 to Spd_n that supports Ethernet data transmission (step S120); determining the connection status of the optical signal Sopt and generating a first status signal St1 / St2 indicating the connection status (step S130); determining the signal strength of the optical signal Sopt and generating a second status signal St3 indicating whether the signal strength is greater than the receiving sensitivity of the photoelectric conversion module 110 by a certain value (step S140); and determining whether to enable the PoE function based on the first status signal St1 / St2 and the second status signal St3 (step S150), wherein when the PoE function is enabled, a DC power supply Pdc is generated and applied to the second electrical signals Spd_1 to Spd_n.

[0045] In step S130, the first state signal may refer to the indicator signal Slos used in the above embodiment to indicate whether the optical signal Sopt is lost, or the indicator signal Slks used to indicate whether the signal processing module 120 has successfully established a connection with the photoelectric conversion module 110. In other words, the first state signal in this embodiment may be one of the first state signal St1 and the second state signal St2 in the above embodiment.

[0046] On the other hand, in step S140, the second state signal in this embodiment may be the third state signal St3 in the above embodiment, which can be used to indicate the signal strength of the optical signal Sopt.

[0047] In step S150, the main controller 140 will only issue an enable PoE control signal Spc to enable the PoE function when the first state signal St1 / St2 and the second state signal St3 are enabled at the same time.

[0048] Please refer to the matching instructions. Figure 1 and Figure 2BThe power supply control method of this embodiment includes the following steps: receiving an optical signal Spd by a photoelectric conversion module 110 and converting the optical signal Spd into a first electrical signal Se (step S210); receiving the first electrical signal Se by a signal processing module 120 and converting the first electrical signal Se into a second electrical signal Spd_1 to Spd_n that supports Ethernet data transmission (step S220); determining whether the optical signal Spd is lost and generating a first status signal accordingly (step S230); and determining whether the signal processing module 120 successfully communicates with the photoelectric conversion module 110. 0. Establish a connection and generate a second state signal St2 accordingly (step S240); determine the signal strength of the optical signal Sopt and generate a third state signal St3 indicating whether the signal strength is greater than the receiving sensitivity of the photoelectric conversion module 110 by a certain value (step S250); and decide whether to enable the PoE function based on at least two of the first to third state signals St1 to St3 (step S260), wherein when the PoE function is enabled, a DC power supply Pdc is generated and applied to the second electrical signals Spd_1 to Spd_n.

[0049] Compared to Figure 2A In this embodiment, the main controller 140 can use at least two of the following three states as a criterion for judgment: whether the optical signal Sopt is lost, whether the signal processing module 120 and the photoelectric conversion module 110 have successfully established a connection, and whether the signal strength of the optical signal Sopt is greater than the receiving sensitivity of the photoelectric conversion module 110 by a certain value (e.g., 1 dBm). In some embodiments, in step S260, the PoE function can be enabled by issuing the PoE control signal Spc only when all the first to third state signals St1 to St3 are enabled.

[0050] The following is further... Figure 3 To explain the above Figure 2B Specific process examples, including Figure 3 In accordance with Figure 2B The following is a flowchart illustrating the specific steps of a power supply control method in some embodiments. Please refer to it in conjunction with the above. Figure 1 and Figure 3 In step S230, the photoelectric conversion module 110 determines whether the optical signal Sopt is lost (step S231); when the optical signal Sopt is determined to be not lost, the photoelectric conversion module 110 generates an enabled first state signal St1 (step S232); conversely, when the optical signal Sopt is determined to be lost, the photoelectric conversion module 110 generates a disabled first state signal St1 (step S233).

[0051] Next, in step 240, if the optical signal Sopt is determined to be not lost, the signal processing module 120 will determine whether the transmission state of the first electrical signal Se conforms to the link mode (step S241); when the signal processing module 120 determines that the transmission state of the first electrical signal Se conforms to the link mode, it indicates that the signal processing module 120 and the photoelectric conversion module 110 have successfully established a connection, and the signal processing module 120 will generate an enabling second state signal St2 (step S242); conversely, when the signal processing module 120 determines that the transmission state of the first electrical signal Se does not conform to the link mode, it indicates that the signal processing module 120 and the photoelectric conversion module 110 have not successfully established a connection, and the signal processing module 120 will generate a disabling second state signal St2 (step S243).

[0052] Next, in step 250, after the signal processing module 120 and the photoelectric conversion module 110 have successfully established a connection, the main controller 140 first checks whether the photoelectric conversion module 110 supports providing the signal strength of the optical signal Sopt (step S251). If the photoelectric conversion module 110 can provide signal strength information, the main controller 140 further determines whether the signal strength of the optical signal Sopt is greater than or equal to a first threshold (step S252), wherein the first threshold may be, for example, at least 1 dBm higher than the receiving sensitivity of the photoelectric conversion module 110. If the signal strength of the optical signal Sopt is greater than or equal to the first threshold, an enabled third state signal St3 is generated (step S253); conversely, if the signal strength of the optical signal Sopt is less than the first threshold, a disabled third state signal St3 is generated (step S254). On the other hand, if the main controller 140 determines that the photoelectric conversion module 110 cannot provide signal strength information, the controller 140 will skip the determination in step S252 and directly perform step S260 based on the enabled first state signal St1 and the second state signal St2.

[0053] In step S260, if the main controller 140 receives the first to third enabling state signals (also called state signals) St1 to St3, the main controller 140 will generate an enabling PoE control signal (also called signal) Spc to enable the PoE function of the PoE control module 130 (step S261). Conversely, if any of the first to third state signals St1 to St3 received by the main controller 140 is disabled, the main controller 140 will generate a disabling PoE control signal Spc to disable the PoE function of the PoE control module 130 (step S262).

[0054] For example, if the main controller 140 determines in step S251 that the photoelectric conversion module 110 supports providing the signal strength of the optical signal Sopt, and in step S252 determines that the signal strength of the optical signal Sopt is greater than or equal to a first threshold, then the main controller 140 will receive the first to third enable state signals St1 to St3, and proceed to step S261 to enable the PoE function. Conversely, if the main controller 140 determines in step S251 that the photoelectric conversion module 110 does not support providing the signal strength of the optical signal Sopt, then the main controller 140 will directly determine that the media controller 100 is operating normally based on the first state signal St1 and the second state signal St2, and proceed to step S261 to enable the PoE function.

[0055] In some embodiments, during the operation of the device 100, after step S261 / S262, Figure 3 The process can be repeated directly or after a predetermined time, returning to step S230 to repeatedly perform status checks to determine whether to enable / disable the PoE function.

[0056] In addition, it should be noted that, although Figure 3 The steps illustrated in the embodiments are performed sequentially to generate corresponding first to third state signals St1 to St3, but this application is not limited to this. In some embodiments, the judgments in steps S231, S241, and S251 of the above embodiments may be performed partially or entirely simultaneously, or the order of the judgments may be adjusted.

[0057] This application is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made within the scope shown in the request. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included within the technical scope of this application. Furthermore, new technical features can be formed by combining the technical means disclosed in each embodiment.

[0058] It should also be noted that any numerical values ​​mentioned in this application are not intended to limit the invention to only the specified numerical values. Those skilled in the art will understand that there are permissible errors in each numerical value / composition ratio. As long as they do not significantly affect the results / functions to be achieved in each experimental example, any value that is similar to the disclosed numerical range is considered to be within the scope of this invention.

Claims

1. A device supporting Power over Ethernet (PoE) functionality, adapted to convert a first electrical signal related to an optical signal into a second electrical signal supporting Ethernet data transmission, and provide it to a corresponding terminal device through at least one Ethernet interface, characterized in that, The device comprises: a signal processing module, configured to receive the first electrical signal and convert the first electrical signal into the second electrical signal; a PoE control module, configured to determine whether to enable the PoE function according to a PoE control signal, wherein when the PoE control module receives an enabled PoE control signal, the PoE function is enabled, and a direct current power supply is generated to the second electrical signal, so that the second electrical signal with the direct current power supply is provided to the corresponding Ethernet connection interface, and when the PoE control module receives a disabled PoE control signal, the PoE function is disabled, and the generation of the direct current power supply is stopped; and a main controller, electrically connected to the signal processing module and the PoE control module, configured to issue a corresponding PoE control signal to control the operation of the PoE control module according to a first state signal indicating the connection state of the optical signal and a second state signal indicating the signal strength of the optical signal, wherein when the first state signal and the second state signal received by the main controller are both enabled, an enabled PoE control signal is generated to enable the PoE function.

2. The power over Ethernet enabled device of claim 1, wherein, Further comprising: an optical-electric conversion module, electrically connected to the signal processing module and the main controller, configured to receive the optical signal and convert the optical signal into the first electrical signal.

3. The Power over Ethernet function enabled device of claim 2, wherein, Wherein the main controller determines whether the signal strength of the optical signal is greater than or equal to a first threshold value according to the first electrical signal; when the signal strength is greater than or equal to the first threshold value, the second state signal is enabled, and when the signal strength is less than the first threshold value, the second state signal is disabled, wherein the first threshold value is at least 1 dBm higher than the receiving sensitivity of the optical-electric conversion module.

4. The Power over Ethernet function enabled device of claim 3, wherein, Wherein the optical-electric conversion module generates a first indication signal according to whether the optical signal is lost; the signal processing module determines whether a connection with the optical-electric conversion module is successfully established and generates a second indication signal accordingly, wherein the main controller takes one of the first indication signal and the second indication signal as the first state signal.

5. The power over Ethernet enabled device of claim 4, wherein the power over Ethernet enabled device is further configured to: Wherein the main controller further determines the enable / disable state of the PoE control signal issued according to a third state signal; the main controller takes the other of the first indication signal and the second indication signal as the third state signal.

6. The Power over Ethernet function enabled device of claim 5, wherein, Wherein when any one of the first state signal to the third state signal is disabled, the main controller generates a disabled PoE control signal to disable the PoE function.

7. A device supporting power over Ethernet function, characterized by, Comprise: an optical-electric conversion module, configured to receive an optical signal and convert the optical signal into a first electrical signal, wherein the optical-electric conversion module generates a first state signal according to whether the optical signal is lost; a signal processing module, electrically connected to the optical-electric conversion module, configured to receive the first electrical signal and convert the first electrical signal into a second electrical signal supporting Ethernet data transmission, wherein the signal processing module determines whether a connection with the optical-electric conversion module is successfully established and generates a second state signal accordingly; PoE control module, for determining whether to enable the PoE function according to a PoE control signal, wherein when the PoE control module receives an enabled PoE control signal, the PoE function is enabled, and a direct current power is generated and applied to the second electrical signal, so that the second electrical signal with the direct current power is provided to a corresponding Ethernet interface, and when the PoE control module receives a disabled PoE control signal, the PoE function is disabled, and the generation of the direct current power is stopped; and a main controller, electrically connected to the optical-electrical conversion module, the signal processing module and the PoE control module, for issuing a corresponding PoE control signal to control the operation of the PoE control module according to the first status signal and the second status signal, wherein when any one of the first status signal and the second status signal received by the main controller is disabled, a disabled PoE control signal is generated to disable the PoE function.

8. The Power over Ethernet function enabled device of claim 7, wherein, wherein the main controller further determines the disabled / enabled state of the PoE control signal issued according to a third status signal indicating the signal strength of the optical signal; the main controller determines whether the signal strength of the optical signal is greater than or equal to a first threshold value according to the first electrical signal; when the signal strength is greater than or equal to the first threshold value, the third status signal is enabled, and when the signal strength is less than the first threshold value, the third status signal is disabled; wherein when any one of the first status signal to the third status signal received by the main controller is disabled, a disabled PoE control signal is generated to disable the PoE function.

9. The Power over Ethernet function enabled device of claim 8, wherein, wherein the first threshold value is at least 1 dBm higher than the receiving sensitivity of the optical-electrical conversion module.

10. A power supply control method of a device supporting a power over Ethernet function, characterized by, comprises: receiving an optical signal by an optical-electrical conversion module, and converting the optical signal into a first electrical signal; receiving the first electrical signal by a signal processing module, and converting the first electrical signal into a second electrical signal supporting Ethernet data transmission; determining whether the optical signal is lost, and generating a first status signal accordingly; determining whether the signal processing module successfully establishes a connection with the optical-electrical conversion module, and generating a second status signal accordingly; determining whether the difference between the signal strength of the optical signal and the receiving sensitivity of the optical-electrical conversion module is greater than or equal to 1 dBm, and generating a third status signal accordingly; and determining whether to enable a PoE function according to the first status signal to the third status signal, wherein when the PoE function is enabled, a direct current power is generated and applied to the second electrical signal. ​

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