Control method and control device for power over ethernet devices

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a control method and a control device for a power sourcing equipment (PSE). The control method comprises: determining state information related to an input AC voltage effective value of the PSE; and adjusting a maximum output power of the PSE to a first output power or a second output power according to the state information, wherein the first output power and the second output power correspond to two thresholds of a total power that the PSE can deliver to a powered device (PD), and wherein the first output power is lower than the second output power.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of Power over Ethernet (PoE) technology, and more specifically, to a control method and control apparatus for Power Sourcing Equipment (PSE). Background Technology

[0002] PoE technology transmits power over Ethernet cables, allowing Ethernet-powered devices (PDs) to receive power in parallel with data over an Ethernet infrastructure. Power Sinks (PSEs) are equipped with high-power power conversion devices (e.g., Open Frame switching power supplies). The losses and efficiency of these power conversion devices vary depending on the AC input voltage level of the PSE. However, to adapt to the power grid specifications of different countries or regions, current globally used PSEs are designed for worst-case scenarios, resulting in PSEs failing to fully realize their performance potential. Summary of the Invention

[0003] One aspect of this disclosure provides a control method for a Powered Ethernet Receiver (PSE). The control method includes: determining state information related to the effective value of the input AC voltage of the PSE; adjusting the maximum output power of the PSE to an Ethernet powered device (PD) to a first output power or a second output power based on the state information, wherein the first output power and the second output power correspond to two threshold values ​​of the total power that the PSE can deliver to the PD, and wherein the first output power is lower than the second output power.

[0004] Optionally, the status information includes at least one of the following: the geographical location of the PSE; the temperature of the power conversion device of the PSE; and the grid specifications of the AC power supply of the PSE.

[0005] Optionally, adjusting the PSE to use the maximum output power of the PD as a first output power or a second output power according to the status information includes: determining that the AC power supply of the PSE is operating at a low voltage level according to the status information, and setting the maximum output power of the PSE to the PD as the first output power; and determining that the AC power supply is operating at a high voltage level according to the status information, and setting the maximum output power of the PSE to the PD as the second output power.

[0006] Optionally, the control method further includes: obtaining a user-set maximum output power as a third output power, wherein the third output power is greater than the first output power and less than the second output power; when the maximum output power of the PSE to the PD is adjusted to the first output power according to the status information, maintaining the output power of the PSE to the PD at the first output power; and when the maximum output power of the PSE to the PD is adjusted to the second output power according to the status information, adjusting the output power of the PSE to the PD to the third output power.

[0007] Optionally, the control method further includes: when the maximum output power of the PSE to the PD is the first output power or the second output power, different heat dissipation intensities are adopted.

[0008] Optionally, the heat dissipation device is a cooling fan, and the heat dissipation intensity is the rotational speed of the cooling fan.

[0009] Optionally, the control method further includes: in response to detecting that the effective value of the input AC voltage of the PSE is lower than a preset threshold, controlling the PSE to perform a field protection operation.

[0010] Optionally, in response to detecting that the effective value of the input AC voltage of the AC power supply is lower than a preset threshold, the Ethernet power supply port of the PSE is also controlled to power down.

[0011] Another aspect of this disclosure provides a control device for a power supply transformer (PSE). The control device includes a detection circuit and a control circuit. The detection circuit is configured to determine status information related to the effective value of the input AC voltage of the PSE. The control circuit is configured to adjust the maximum output power of the PSE to the power PD to a first output power or a second output power based on the status information, wherein the first output power and the second output power correspond to two threshold values ​​of the total power that the PSE can deliver to the PD, and wherein the first output power is lower than the second output power.

[0012] Optionally, the control circuit determines that the AC power supply of the PSE is operating at a low voltage level based on the status information, and sets the maximum output power of the PSE to the PD as a first output power; and the control circuit determines that the AC power supply is operating at a high voltage level based on the status information, and sets the maximum output power of the PSE as a second output power.

[0013] Optionally, the control circuit is further configured to: obtain a user-set maximum output power as a third output power, wherein the third output power is greater than the first output power and less than the second output power; when the maximum output power of the PSE to the PD is adjusted to the first output power according to the status information, maintain the output power of the PSE to the PD at the first output power; when the maximum output power of the PSE to the PD is adjusted to the second output power according to the status information, adjust the output power of the PSE to the PD to the third output power.

[0014] Optionally, the control circuit is further configured to use different heat dissipation intensities when the maximum output power of the PSE to the PD is the first output power or the second output power.

[0015] Optionally, the detection circuit is further configured to detect that the effective value of the input AC voltage of the PSE is lower than a preset threshold, and control the PSE to perform field protection operation. The control circuit is further configured to control the PSE to perform field protection operation in response to detecting that the effective value of the input AC voltage is lower than the preset threshold.

[0016] Optionally, the control circuit is also configured to power down the Ethernet power supply port of the PSE in response to detecting that the effective value of the input AC voltage is lower than a preset threshold.

[0017] The aforementioned control method and control device for PSE provided in this disclosure can adaptively adjust the maximum output power of PSE to PD based on state information related to the effective value of the input AC voltage of PSE, thereby optimizing the power output performance and load-carrying performance of PSE under different input AC voltages. Attached Figure Description

[0018] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure, the accompanying drawings of the embodiments will be briefly described below. Obviously, the drawings described below only relate to some embodiments of this disclosure, and are not intended to limit this disclosure.

[0019] Figure 1 The illustration shows an illustrative application scenario of a control method and control apparatus for a PSE according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0020] Figure 2 A schematic flowchart of a control method for a PSE according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0021] Figure 3 Show Figure 2 A schematic flowchart of step 220 in the process;

[0022] Figure 4A schematic flowchart of a control method for a PSE according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0023] Figure 5 A schematic flowchart illustrating a control method for a PSE according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown; and

[0024] Figure 6 A schematic flowchart of a control method for a PSE according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0025] Embodiments of this disclosure will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. While some embodiments of this disclosure are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that this disclosure should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided to provide a more thorough and complete understanding of this disclosure. The drawings and embodiments of this disclosure are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this disclosure. Furthermore, in the drawings, the same reference numerals denote components of the same or similar structures or functions, and repeated descriptions of them will be omitted in the following description.

[0026] Unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used in this disclosure shall have the ordinary meaning understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. The terms “first,” “second,” and similar terms used in this disclosure do not indicate any order, quantity, or importance, but are merely used to distinguish different components.

[0027] It should be noted that the various components or parts described in the various embodiments of this disclosure are merely illustrative. In some cases, some components or parts may be omitted, or some components or parts may be replaced with other components or parts that have the same or similar functions, or additional components or parts may be added.

[0028] Furthermore, the various components or assemblies described in the different embodiments of this disclosure are merely for ease of description and do not imply actual physical separation or combination, nor do they imply that such separation or combination is necessary. Those skilled in the art can arbitrarily disassemble or combine the various components or assemblies according to actual needs.

[0029] Figure 1 The illustration shows a schematic application scenario of a control method and control device for PSE according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0030] refer to Figure 1The PSE 10 may include a power conversion device 110, a system motherboard 120, a PSE module 130, and a heat dissipation device 140. The power conversion device 110 may include an AC-DC converter to convert the input AC voltage from the AC power supply 20 of the PSE 10 into a DC voltage, thereby outputting a DC system voltage and a Power over Ethernet (PoE) voltage to the system motherboard 120 and PSE module 130, respectively. An example of the power conversion device 110 is an Open Frame switching power supply, but this disclosure is not limited thereto. The system motherboard 120 is responsible for system services such as data communication and forwarding of the PSE 10. The PSE module 130 is responsible for the external power supply control of the PSE 10, such as the power supply control of PD 40a, PD 40b, and PD 40c. Furthermore, the system motherboard 120 can also control the PSE module 130.

[0031] PSE 10 can include multiple network ports, such as 150a to 150n. Some of these network ports can be used to connect to a PD (Power Delivery Device), and are referred to as PoE ports, for example... Figure 1 The diagram schematically illustrates PoE ports 150k, 150m, and 150n connected to PD40a, PD40b, and PD40c, respectively. Another portion of these network ports can be used to connect devices other than PDs, for example... Figure 1 The diagram schematically illustrates a connection to upper-layer device 30 using network port 150a. Upper-layer device 30 can be a device logically above PSE 10 in the topology, responsible for tasks such as data exchange with PSE 10 and security management. Examples of upper-layer devices 30 include, but are not limited to, core routers, data centers, and servers.

[0032] The heat dissipation device 140 is any device capable of dissipating heat from the PSE 10, and it can be controlled by the system motherboard 120. Examples of the heat dissipation device 140 include, but are not limited to, cooling fans.

[0033] As mentioned earlier, to adapt to the power grid specifications of different countries or regions, the current globally universal version of PSE 10 is designed according to the worst-case scenario, regardless of the power grid specifications of the country or region where it is used. In other words, regardless of the power grid specifications of the AC power supply 20 for PSE 10 (for example, according to the relevant regulations of China, the United States, Europe, Japan, and South Korea, the specifications for their residential voltages are 220V, 120V, 230V, 100V, and 220V, respectively), parameters of PSE 10 such as the maximum output power to the PD and the heat dissipation intensity of PSE 10 are set to the same values ​​calculated based on the worst-case scenario. This results in PSE 10 not being able to fully utilize its power output performance and load-carrying capacity when the actual situation is better than the worst-case scenario.

[0034] Specifically, refer to Figure 1 The power output by the power conversion device 110 It mainly consists of two parts. The first part is the system power. The first part indicates the power supplied to the system motherboard 120 to maintain the operation of the PSE 10 itself. The second part is the PoE power. This indicates the total power supplied to the externally connected PD via the PSE module 130 and PoE port. If the parameters of the PSE 10 are set to the same value regardless of the grid standard of the AC power source 20, this means that the PoE power will be the same regardless of whether the AC power source 20 is at a high voltage level (e.g., 220V, 230V) or a low voltage level (e.g., 120V, 100V). They are all the same. Due to system power It is essentially constant, which means that regardless of whether the AC power supply 20 is of high or low voltage level, the power output of the power conversion device 110 is constant. All of these need to remain constant. However, the power output of the power conversion device 110... Under the same conditions, the losses under low-voltage AC input are greater than those under high-voltage AC input. These losses include losses from voltage conversion between the preceding and following stages in the power conversion device, switching transistor losses, impedance losses, and so on. This means that the PSE 10 cannot fully utilize its power output and load-carrying capabilities when the AC power supply 20 is operating at a high voltage level.

[0035] In view of this, this disclosure proposes to use a control device 50 to control the PSE 10 so that the PSE 10 can automatically adjust the maximum output power of the PSE 10 to the PD based on the status information of the PSE 10 related to the effective value of the input AC voltage, thereby fully utilizing the performance of the PSE 10 even when the AC power supply of the PSE 10 belongs to different national or regional power grid specifications.

[0036] The following is combined with Figures 1 to 6 The control device 50 and the control method implemented therein are described.

[0037] Figure 2 A schematic flowchart of a control method for a PSE according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0038] See Figure 2 The control method 200 for PSE according to at least one embodiment of this disclosure may include at least steps 210 to 220. For example, it may be provided by... Figure 1 The control device 50 implements the control method 200. For example... Figure 1As shown, the control device 50 includes a detection circuit 510 and a control circuit 520. The detection circuit 510 can be coupled to the power conversion device 110 of the PSE 10. The control circuit 520 can be coupled to the system motherboard 120 and the PSE module 130 in the PSE 10. The detection circuit 510 and the control circuit 520 can be implemented by software, hardware, or a combination of both.

[0039] In step 210, the detection circuit 510 can determine status information related to the effective value of the input AC voltage of the PSE 10. This status information can indicate, individually or in combination, whether the AC power supply 20 of the PSE 10 is operating at a low voltage level or a high voltage level. Only a few examples of this status information are given below, but it should be understood that this disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0040] In one example, status information related to the effective value of the input AC voltage of PSE 10 may include the grid specifications of the AC power supply 20 of PSE 10. Specifically, a voltage transformer may be installed, for example, in the AC line of an AC-DC converter, which can proportionally convert the input AC voltage signal in the AC line into an induced voltage signal. The detection circuit 510 can determine the grid specifications of AC power supply 20 by acquiring the effective value or peak characteristics of the induced voltage signal. Furthermore, if it is determined that the input AC voltage corresponding to the induced voltage signal is in the high-voltage range (e.g., 220V-240V), it can be determined that AC power supply 20 is operating at a high-voltage level; if it is determined that the input AC voltage corresponding to the induced voltage signal is in the low-voltage range (e.g., 110V-130V), it can be determined that AC power supply 20 is operating at a low-voltage level.

[0041] In another example, the status information related to the RMS value of the input AC voltage of PSE 10 can include the geographical location of PSE 10. Since the power grid specifications of different countries or regions are known, the geographical location of PSE 10 corresponds to its RMS input AC voltage. For example, the RMS value of the US standard power grid is 220V, and the RMS value of the European standard power grid is 110V. Therefore, whether PSE 10 is located in the US or Europe can determine whether the RMS value of the AC power supply 20 of PSE 10 is 220V or 110V, and thus whether the AC power supply 20 is operating at a low-voltage or high-voltage level. Specifically, Figure 1 The detection circuit 510 can determine the geographical location of the PSE 10 by acquiring the positioning signal of the PSE 10. For example, a positioning device can be deployed in the PSE 10, which can generate a positioning signal indicating the location of the PSE 10 using any known or future positioning technology.

[0042] In another example, the status information related to the effective value of the input AC voltage of PSE 10 may include the temperature of the power conversion device 110 in PSE 10. It is well known that electronic components generate heat when powered on; therefore, when AC power 20 is connected, the temperature of the electronic components in power conversion device 110 will rise, and this temperature corresponds to the effective value of the input AC voltage of PSE 10. Specifically, Figure 1 The detection circuit 510 can acquire temperature signals from one or more temperature sensors deployed in the power conversion device 110, and determine the effective value of the input AC voltage based on the temperature signals and the parameters of the electronic components, thereby determining whether the AC power supply 20 is operating at a low voltage level or a high voltage level. The temperature sensor can use any known or future temperature sensing technology to sense the temperature of these electrical components.

[0043] Any other information obtained in any way that can directly or indirectly derive the effective value of the input AC voltage of the PSE can be used as status information related to the effective value of the input AC voltage of the PSE, and is not limited to the geographical location of the PSE, the temperature of the PSE's power conversion device, and the grid specifications of the PSE's AC power supply listed above.

[0044] In step 220, the control circuit 520 can adjust the maximum output power of the PSE to the PD based on the determined state information. First output power Or the second output power The first output power Second output power These correspond to two thresholds representing the total power that the PSE can deliver to all PDs connected to the PSE, and the first output power... Lower than the second output power The maximum output power here. This refers to the maximum total power that the PSE10 can provide to all the PDs it is connected to, also known as the PoE budget. For example... Figure 1As shown, the detection circuit 510 can send a first signal S1 to the control circuit 520. The first signal S1 may include status information related to the input AC voltage of the PSE 10 determined in step 210, such as the grid specifications of the AC power supply 20, the geographical location of the PSE 10, the temperature of the power conversion device 110 of the PSE 10, or any other information from which the effective value of the input AC voltage of the PSE can be directly or indirectly derived. In response to receiving the first signal S1, the control circuit 520 can generate a second signal S2 based on this status information and send it to the PSE module 130. The second signal S2 includes setting the maximum output power of the PSE 10 to the PD to a first output power. Or the second output power Instructions.

[0045] Thus, the maximum output power of the PSE 10 to the PD is no longer fixed, but can follow the effective value of the PSE 10's input AC voltage at the first output power. Second output power The PSE10's power output performance is improved by adaptively changing the parameters between the parameters.

[0046] The control device 50 can be integrated with the PSE 10 or operate independently of it. When the control device 50 is independent of the PSE, it can be powered by a separate power supply. In this case, the control device 50 can also perform the step of detecting whether the AC power supply 20 is connected to the PSE 10 before executing step 210. If the AC power supply 20 is detected as connected, the process proceeds to step 210 to continue detecting the operating status of the PSE 10; if the AC power supply 20 is not detected as connected, this step is repeated. Specifically, the detection circuit 510 can determine whether the AC power supply 20 is connected by detecting the presence of voltage or current in the AC or DC line of the AC-DC converter in the power conversion device 110, or by detecting a preset power-on indication signal in the power conversion device 110. For example, if the power conversion device 110 has a pin for indicating whether it is powered on, the level signal of that pin can be used to determine whether the AC power supply 20 is connected. This disclosure will not exhaustively describe all such examples.

[0047] Figure 3 Show Figure 2 A schematic flowchart of step 220 in the process.

[0048] In step 220, the AC power supply 20 can be instructed to operate at a low voltage level based on the status information determined in step 210, thereby maximizing the output power of the PSE 10 to the PD. Set as the first output power Alternatively, based on the status information, it can be determined that AC power supply 20 is operating at a high voltage level, and the maximum output power of PSE 10 to PD will be adjusted accordingly. Set as the second output power .

[0049] refer to Figure 3 , Figure 2 Step 220 may include sub-steps 310 to 330. In sub-step 310, control circuit 520 may determine whether AC power supply 20 is operating at a low voltage level or a high voltage level based on the status information related to the input AC voltage of PSE 10 included in the first signal S1. If AC power supply 20 is operating at a low voltage level, proceed to sub-step 320 to maximize the output power of PSE 10 to PD. Set as the first output power If AC power supply 20 is operating at a high voltage level, proceed to sub-step 330 to maximize the output power of PSE 10 to PD. Set as the second output power Among them, the first output power Less than the second output power .

[0050] Reference Figure 1 When the status information in the first signal S1 received from the detection circuit 510 indicates that the AC power supply 20 is operating at a low voltage level, the control circuit 520 may include in the second signal S2 the maximum output power of the PSE 10 to the PD. Set as the first output power (e.g., 1000W) an indication, and sends the second signal S2 to the PSE module 130. When the status information in the first signal S1 indicates that the AC power supply 20 is operating at a high voltage level, the control circuit 520 can include in the second signal S2 the maximum output power of the PSE 10 to the PD. Set as the second output power (e.g., 1200W) instruction, and sends the second signal S2 to the PSE module 130.

[0051] Thus, compared to existing technologies, when the PSE 10 operates under AC power supply 20 at a high voltage level, it can output more power for the PD, because in existing technologies, this power is dissipated as heat. Therefore, the PSE 10's power output performance under high voltage input is improved, and correspondingly, its load-carrying capacity for the PD is also enhanced.

[0052] Figure 4 A schematic flowchart of a control method for a PSE according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0053] refer to Figure 4 Except with Figure 2 In addition to the same steps 210 and 220, the control method 200 may also include steps 230 to 250. One of steps 240 and 250 is executed based on the result of step 220.

[0054] In step 230, the control circuit 520 can obtain the user-set maximum output power as the third output power. The third output power Greater than the first output power And less than the second output power If the result of step 220 is to adjust the maximum output power of the PSE to the PD to the first output power... Then, control method 200 proceeds to step 240 to maintain the output power of PSE to PD at the first output power. If the result of step 220 is to adjust the maximum output power of the PSE to the PD to the second output power... Then, control method 200 proceeds to step 250 to further adjust the output power of PSE to PD to a third output power. .

[0055] like Figure 1 As shown, the control circuit 520 can be coupled to the system motherboard 120 and the PSE module 130 of the PSE 10. On one hand, during the initial startup phase of the PSE 10, the PSE module 130 adjusts the maximum output power of the PSE 10 to the PD to the first output power according to the indication in the second signal S2. Or the second output power On the other hand, the PSE 10 can have a human-machine interface for user interaction, and the system motherboard 120 can control the human-machine interface to display an input window for the user to input their desired output power of the PSE 10 to the PD (hereinafter referred to as the third output power). (Please input the third output power) After obtaining the value, the system motherboard 120 can send the value to the control circuit 520.

[0056] Based on the result of its execution step 220, the control circuit 520 knows that the maximum output power of the PSE 10 to the PD has been adjusted to the first output power. Or the second output power After obtaining the user-set third output power Then, the control circuit 520 can adjust the output power according to the third output power. With the first output power Or the second output power The relationship between the magnitudes determines that the output power of the PD is maintained at the first output power. Or the second output power Or will the output power of the PD be further adjusted to a third output power? Specifically, the maximum output power of the current PSE to the PD has been adjusted to the second output power. When the user sets the third output power Greater than the first output power And less than the second output power Then the control circuit 520 determines that the output power of the PD will be further adjusted to a third output power. Otherwise, ensure that the output power to the PD remains at the second output power. The maximum output power of the PSE to the PD has been adjusted to the first output power. At that time, regardless of the third output power set by the user In all cases, the output power to the PD is maintained at the first output power. This means that when AC power supply 20 is operating at a low voltage level, the PSE's output power to the PD will not change due to user settings. This helps avoid system instability caused by excessively high or low output power due to user missettings. As an alternative, the current maximum output power of the PSE to the PD has been adjusted to the first output power. When the user sets the third output power Less than the first output power And greater than the fourth output power Then the control circuit 520 determines that the output power of the PD will be further adjusted to a third output power. Otherwise, ensure that the output power to the PD remains at the first output power. This means that when AC power supply 20 is operating at a low voltage level, the PSE's output power to the PD can be varied according to the user's settings, but will not fall below the fourth output power. This helps avoid low system conversion efficiency due to the user setting the output power too low. Fourth Output Power It can be determined, for example, based on the minimum conversion efficiency allowed by the system.

[0057] If it is determined that the output power of the PD will be further adjusted to a third output power Then, the control circuit 520 can send a third signal S3 to the PSE module 130, which includes further adjusting the output power of the PSE to the PD to a third output power. The PSE module 130, upon receiving the third signal S3, will control the total power supplied by the PSE 10 to all connected PDs to not exceed the third output power. If the total power required by all PDs exceeds the third output power... Then PSE 10 can operate according to the priority order among these PDs, with the total power not exceeding the third output power. Provide power to a portion of the PDs under the premise of [the following].

[0058] Thus, when AC power supply 20 operates at a high voltage level, during the initial startup of PSE 10, the maximum output power of PSE 10 to PD is automatically set by the system to the second output power. Then, if the user expects the PSE 10 to have a higher output power than the second output power... Lower but not lower than the first output power The third output power When powering the PD, the PSE 10's output power to the PD is adjusted to the third output power. In this way, under high-voltage AC input, the system can ensure that the user's desired output power is met, and also ensure that even if the user mistakenly sets the output power to be lower than the output power under low-voltage AC input or higher than the maximum output power allowed by the system at this time, the output power of PSE 10 to PD will still be within the safe range. Conversely, when AC power supply 20 is operating at a low-voltage level, during the initial startup of PSE 10, the maximum output power of PSE 10 to PD is automatically set by the system to the first output power. Then, if the user expects the PSE 10 to have a higher first output power... Lower but not lower than the fourth output power The third output power When powering the PD, the PSE 10's output power to the PD is adjusted to the third output power. This ensures that, under low-voltage AC input, the user's desired output power is met, and also ensures that even if the user mistakenly sets the output power higher than the system's maximum allowable output power or lower than the output power corresponding to the system's minimum conversion efficiency, the PSE 10's output power to the PD remains within a safe range.

[0059] It is worth noting that the control circuit 520 sends a second signal S1 to the PSE module 130 at the initial startup of the PSE 10 to automatically set the maximum output power of the PSE to the PD to the first output power. Or second output power A third signal S3 may be sent to the PSE module 130 later to set the maximum output power of the PSE to the PD to the third output power. This is beneficial. During the initial startup of the PSE 10, the PSE module 130 initializes quickly and can output power as soon as possible, while the system motherboard 120 initializes more slowly due to the need to load configuration, system, and initialize all modules of the device. If the user-expected output power is only transmitted to the PSE module 130 after the system motherboard 120 has completed initialization and knows the user's desired output power, then during the period between PSE 10 startup and the system motherboard 120 initialization completion, the PSE module 130 will not know the maximum output power it can provide to the PD, potentially leading to overload. Therefore, limiting the maximum output power of the PSE 10 to the PD to the first output power before the system motherboard 120 completes initialization is crucial. Or the second output power This allows the PSE module 130 to know the upper limit of the power supply to the PD during this period, thereby avoiding overload.

[0060] Thus, the control device 50 can not only automatically adjust the maximum output power of the PSE 10 to the PD based on the status information related to the effective value of the input AC voltage of the PSE 10, but also further adjust the output power of the PSE 10 to the PD according to the user's expectations. Furthermore, the control device 50 also ensures the safe operation and prevents overload of the PSE module 130 by limiting the maximum output power of the PSE 10 to the PD before the system motherboard 120 is initialized.

[0061] Figure 5 A schematic flowchart of a control method for a PSE according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0062] As mentioned earlier, in the prior art, the PSE 10 uses the same output power to the PD regardless of whether it is a high-voltage AC input or a low-voltage AC input. In this case, the PSE 10's losses under high-voltage AC input are less than those under low-voltage AC input; therefore, the PSE 10's heat dissipation requirement under high-voltage AC input is lower than that under low-voltage AC input. However, in the prior art, the PSE 10's heat dissipation intensity is set to the same, worst-case calculated value regardless of whether it is a high-voltage or low-voltage AC input. That is, even if the PSE 10's heat dissipation requirement is less under high-voltage AC input than under low-voltage AC input, the heat dissipation intensity is set to be greater than or equal to the heat dissipation intensity corresponding to the low-voltage AC input to avoid system overheating. This results in the PSE 10 not fully utilizing its heat dissipation capacity and not fully utilizing its power output performance under high-voltage AC input. To improve this situation, the present invention further proposes that the maximum output power of the PSE 10 to the PD be a first output power. Or the second output power Different heat dissipation intensities can be used at different times.

[0063] refer to Figure 5 After step 220, control method 200 may further select to execute one of steps 260 and 270. It is easy to understand that in control method 200... Figure 4 When steps 240 or 250 are included, step 260 can be performed before, after, or in parallel with step 240, and step 270 can also be performed before, after, or in parallel with step 250. Specifically, the result of step 220 is that the maximum output power of PSE 10 to PD is adjusted to the first output power. Then, step 260 can be further executed to set the heat dissipation intensity of the heat sink in PSE 10 to a first heat dissipation intensity Q1. The value of Q1 can be determined based on the losses of PSE 10 under low-voltage AC input. For example, the value of Q1 can be determined based on the sum of losses caused by AC-DC voltage conversion between the front and rear stages of PSE 10 under low-voltage AC input, switching losses, impedance losses, etc., as well as the parameters of the heat sink. Conversely, the result of step 220 is that the maximum output power of PSE 10 to PD is adjusted to a second output power. Then, step 270 can be further executed to set the heat dissipation intensity of the heat sink in PSE 10 to a second heat dissipation intensity Q2. The value of Q2 can be determined based on the losses of PSE 10 under high-voltage AC input. For example, the value of Q2 can be determined based on the sum of losses caused by AC-DC voltage conversion between the front and rear stages of PSE 10 under high-voltage AC input, switching transistor losses, impedance losses, etc., as well as the parameters of the heat sink.

[0064] It should be noted that the second heat dissipation intensity Q2 is not necessarily greater than or less than the first heat dissipation intensity Q1. In the prior art, since the output power of PSE 10 to PD under high-voltage AC input is the same as that under low-voltage AC input, the loss of PSE 10 under high-voltage AC input is less than that under low-voltage AC input. However, according to the control method 200 of this disclosure embodiment, in step 220, the output power of PSE 10 to PD under low-voltage AC input is adjusted to the first output power. Under high-voltage AC input, the output power of PSE 10 to PD is adjusted to be greater than the first output power. Second output power Because increasing the output power introduces additional losses, the losses of PSE 10 under high-voltage AC input may be less than, equal to, or greater than the losses of PSE 10 under low-voltage AC input, depending on the initial output power. Second output power The difference between them and the corresponding loss difference.

[0065] Reference Figure 1 When the control circuit 520 determines that the status information in the first signal S1 indicates that the AC power supply 20 is operating at a low voltage level, in addition to sending the second signal S2 to the PSE module 130, the control circuit 520 can also send a fourth signal S4 to the system motherboard 120. At this time, the second signal S2 includes setting the maximum output power of the PSE 10 to the PD to the first output power. The fourth signal S4 includes an instruction to set the heat dissipation intensity of the heat dissipation device 140 to a first heat dissipation intensity Q1. Upon receiving the fourth signal S4, the system motherboard 120 can control the heat dissipation intensity of the heat dissipation device 140 to the first heat dissipation intensity Q1. For example, when the heat dissipation device 140 is a cooling fan, the system motherboard 120 can control the speed of the cooling fan to a first speed N1 corresponding to the first heat dissipation intensity Q1.

[0066] When the control circuit 520 determines that the status information in the first signal S1 indicates that the AC power supply 20 is operating at a high voltage level, in addition to sending the second signal S2 to the PSE module 130, the control circuit 520 can also send a fourth signal S4 to the system motherboard 120. At this time, the second signal S2 includes setting the maximum output power of the PSE 10 to the PD to the second output power. The fourth signal S4 includes an instruction to set the heat dissipation intensity of the heat dissipation device 140 to a second heat dissipation intensity Q2. Upon receiving the fourth signal S4, the system motherboard 120 can control the heat dissipation intensity of the heat dissipation device 140 to the second heat dissipation intensity Q2. For example, when the heat dissipation device 140 is a cooling fan, the system motherboard 120 can control the speed of the cooling fan to a second speed N2 corresponding to the second heat dissipation intensity Q2.

[0067] In this way, compared with the prior art which sets the same heat dissipation intensity for PSE 10 regardless of whether it is high-voltage AC input or low-voltage AC input, this disclosure takes into account that PSE 10 has different losses under high-voltage AC input and low-voltage AC input conditions and adopts different heat dissipation intensities, thereby reducing power consumption and noise caused by unnecessary heat dissipation and improving user experience.

[0068] Combined with the above Figures 2 to 5 Steps 210 to 270 described are performed initially when AC power 20 is connected to PSE 10. After adjusting the output power of PSE 10 to PD and / or the heat dissipation intensity of the heat dissipation device according to these steps, PSE 10 enters the stable operation stage.

[0069] During stable operation of the PSE 10, the AC power supply 20 may experience a power outage or failure. However, the current PSE still determines the power outage or failure of the AC power supply 20 based on the detection of the DC system voltage. For example, when the detected DC system voltage value is lower than the determination threshold (e.g., 30V), the AC power supply is determined to be out of service or faulty. This may result in a delayed response of the PSE to the AC power supply 20 power outage or failure, leading to insufficient time to perform field protection operations, including saving or transferring field data, alarming, reporting faults, and issuing external messages indicating that it is about to lose power, before the PSE loses power. In view of this, this disclosure further proposes Figure 6 The control method 200 is shown. It should be noted that "PSE power failure" here refers to the process from the disconnection of AC power supply 20 to the point where PSE 10 ceases to function. Generally, when the system voltage drops below the judgment threshold, the power supply, capacitors on the system motherboard 120, and other storage components can continue to supply power briefly. During this period, the PSE can perform field protection operations.

[0070] Figure 6 A schematic flowchart of a control method according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0071] refer to Figure 6 In such Figures 2 to 5 Based on either of these, control method 200 may further include steps 280 and 290. In step 280, detection circuit 510 may detect whether the effective value of the input AC voltage of PSE 10 is lower than a preset threshold. This preset threshold may be set to enable earlier detection of AC power failure or fault than current methods for detecting DC system voltage; for example, in one instance, the preset threshold is set to 80V. If the effective value of the AC voltage of AC power supply 20 is detected to be lower than the preset threshold, it is determined that AC power supply 20 is down or faulty, and the process proceeds to step 260 to control PSE 10 to perform field protection operations. Field protection operations include various operations such as saving or transferring field data, alarms, and reporting faults, including any operations related to, for example, the Dying Gasp mechanism. If the effective value of the input AC voltage is detected to be higher than the preset threshold, it is determined that AC power supply 20 is normal, and step 250 is repeated.

[0072] Reference Figure 1The detection circuit 510 can detect the effective value of the AC power supply 20's voltage using a voltage transformer deployed on the AC line of the AC-DC converter in the power conversion device 110 or other means, and sends a fifth signal S5 indicating the effective value to the control circuit 520. Upon receiving the fifth signal S5, the control circuit 520 determines whether the effective value of the AC power supply 20 is lower than a preset threshold. Once it determines that the effective value is lower than the preset threshold, the control circuit 520 sends a sixth signal S6 to the system motherboard 120, which includes an instruction to perform a field protection operation. Upon receiving the sixth signal S6, the system motherboard 120 immediately performs the field protection operation. For example, the system motherboard 120 can store the field data in its non-volatile memory, or transfer the field data to the upper-level device 30 via network port 150a. It can also transmit fault-related data to the upper-level device 30, enabling the upper-level device 30 to take appropriate protection measures for other devices in the topology where the PSE 10 is located.

[0073] Furthermore, existing PSEs maintain a high PoE output power P even when their AC power supply fails or is interrupted. PoE This means that the power conversion unit in the PSE still needs to maintain a high output power P. output This is one of the factors that may result in insufficient time for the PSE to perform field protection operations before power failure. Therefore, control method 200 may further include step 295. That is, when the effective value of the AC power supply 20's voltage is lower than a preset threshold, the PoE power supply port in the PSE 10 that supplies power to the PD can also be actively powered down. Furthermore, step 295 can be performed in parallel with step 290.

[0074] Reference Figure 1 Once the effective voltage of AC power supply 20 is determined to be lower than a preset threshold, control circuit 520 can also send a seventh signal S7 to PSE module 130, which includes an indication to immediately perform active power-off of the PoE power supply port. Upon receiving the seventh signal S7, PSE module 130 immediately stops supplying power to the PD. For example, Figure 1 In this process, PSE module 130 immediately stops supplying power to connected PDs 40a, PD 40b, and PD40c through network ports 150k, 150m, and 150n. Thus, the stored capacity of the power supply, capacitors, and other storage components on the system motherboard 120 is used to power the system motherboard 120, thereby delaying the power drop process.

[0075] In this way, the control device 50 monitors the effective value of the input AC voltage during normal operation of the PSE in real time, and when the input AC voltage is detected to be de-energized or faulty, it promptly synchronizes the de-energized or faulty status to the system motherboard 120 and / or PSE module 130 of the PSE 10, so that the PSE 10 has more time to complete the field protection operation before the power failure.

[0076] Although Figure 1 The control unit 50 is shown as separate from the PSE 10, but the control unit 50 can also be integrated with the PSE 10. For example, the detection circuit 510 can be integrated into the power conversion device 110, and the control circuit 520 can be integrated into at least one of the system motherboard 120 and the PSE module 130.

[0077] Some embodiments of this disclosure also provide a computer program product or computer program including computer-readable instructions stored in a computer-readable storage medium. A processor of a computer device reads the computer instructions from the computer-readable storage medium and executes the computer instructions, causing the computer device to perform some or all of the steps of the control method 200 according to at least one embodiment of this disclosure.

[0078] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the processor can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. The processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an off-the-shelf programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. It can implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in some embodiments of this disclosure. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, and can be based on an x86 architecture or an ARM architecture.

[0079] In general, the various exemplary embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuitry, software, firmware, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects can be implemented in hardware, while others can be implemented in firmware or software that can be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. When aspects of some embodiments of this disclosure are illustrated or described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other graphical representation, it will be understood that the blocks, apparatuses, systems, techniques, or methods described herein can be implemented as non-limiting examples in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuitry or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0080] It should be noted that the flowcharts and block diagrams in the accompanying drawings illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of this disclosure. In this regard, each block in a flowchart or block diagram may represent a module, segment, or portion of code containing one or more executable instructions for implementing a specified logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions indicated in the blocks may occur in a different order than those indicated in the drawings. For example, two consecutively indicated blocks may actually be executed substantially in parallel, and they may sometimes be executed in reverse order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each block in the block diagrams and / or flowcharts, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and / or flowcharts, can be implemented using a dedicated hardware-based system that performs the specified function or operation, or using a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0081] Without departing from the inventive concept of this disclosure, any of the above variations or combinations fall within the protection scope of this disclosure.

[0082] In the foregoing description, embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the above embodiments are merely illustrative, and those skilled in the art should understand that the combination of constituent elements and processes of the present embodiments can be modified in various ways, and such modifications also fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A control method for a Power over Ethernet (PSE) device, comprising: Determine the status information related to the effective value of the input AC voltage of the PSE; The maximum output power of the PSE to the Ethernet powered device PD is adjusted to a first output power or a second output power based on the status information, wherein the first output power and the second output power correspond to two thresholds of the total power that the PSE can deliver to the PD, and wherein the first output power is lower than the second output power.

2. The control method according to claim 1, wherein, The status information includes at least one of the following: The geographical location of the PSE; The temperature of the power conversion device of the PSE; and The grid specifications of the AC power supply for the PSE.

3. The control method according to claim 1, wherein, Adjusting the maximum output power of the PSE to the PD to a first output power or a second output power based on the status information includes: Based on the status information, it is determined that the AC power supply of the PSE is operating at a low voltage level, and the maximum output power of the PSE to the PD is set to the first output power; and Based on the status information, it is determined that the AC power supply is operating at a high voltage level, and the maximum output power of the PSE to the PD is set to the second output power.

4. The control method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: The maximum output power set by the user is obtained as the third output power, which is greater than the first output power and less than the second output power. When adjusting the maximum output power of the PSE to the PD to the first output power according to the status information, the output power of the PSE to the PD is kept at the first output power. When the maximum output power of the PSE to the PD is adjusted to the second output power according to the status information, the output power of the PSE to the PD is adjusted to the third output power.

5. The control method according to claim 4 further includes: When the maximum output power of the PSE to the PD is the first output power or the second output power, different heat dissipation intensities are adopted.

6. The control method according to claim 5, wherein, The heat dissipation intensity is the rotational speed of the cooling fan of the PSE.

7. The control method according to claim 1, further comprising: In response to detecting that the effective value of the input AC voltage of the PSE is lower than a preset threshold, the PSE is controlled to perform field protection operation.

8. The control method according to claim 7, further comprising: In response to detecting that the effective value of the input AC voltage of the PSE is lower than a preset threshold, the power supply port of the PSE is powered down.

9. A control device for a Power over Ethernet (PSE) equipment, comprising: The detection circuit is configured to determine status information related to the effective value of the input AC voltage of the PSE; as well as The control circuit is configured to adjust the maximum output power of the PSE to the Ethernet powered device PD to a first output power or a second output power based on the status information, wherein the first output power and the second output power correspond to two thresholds of the total power that the PSE can deliver to the PD, and wherein the first output power is lower than the second output power.

10. The control device according to claim 9, wherein, The status information includes at least one of the following: The geographical location of the PSE; The temperature of the power conversion device of the PSE; and The grid specifications of the AC power supply for the PSE.

11. The control device according to claim 9, wherein, The control circuit determines that the AC power supply of the PSE is operating at a low voltage level based on the status information, and sets the maximum output power of the PSE to the PD as the first output power. and The control circuit determines that the AC power supply is operating at a high voltage level based on the status information, and sets the maximum output power of the PSE to the second output power.

12. The control device according to any one of claims 9-11, wherein the control circuit is further configured to: The maximum output power set by the user is obtained as the third output power, which is greater than the first output power and less than the second output power. When adjusting the maximum output power of the PSE to the PD to the first output power according to the status information, the output power of the PSE to the PD is kept at the first output power. When the maximum output power of the PSE to the PD is adjusted to the second output power according to the status information, the output power of the PSE to the PD is adjusted to the third output power.

13. The control device according to claim 12, wherein, The control circuit is further configured to: When the maximum output power of the PSE to the PD is the first output power or the second output power, different heat dissipation intensities are adopted.

14. The control device according to claim 9, wherein, The detection circuit is also configured to detect the effective value of the input AC voltage of the PSE; The control circuit is also configured to control the PSE to perform field protection operations in response to detecting that the effective value of the input AC voltage is lower than a preset threshold.

15. The control device according to claim 14, wherein, The control circuit is further configured to: In response to detecting that the effective value of the input AC voltage is lower than a preset threshold, the power supply port of the PSE is also controlled to power down.

Images