Patent ID: 8370656
Filing Date: 2013-02-05
Classification: G06F,H04L,Y02D

Abstract:
1. A power and data hub, comprising: an enclosure for a plurality of thin, modular, hot swappable electronic circuit boards, the enclosure forming a heat dissipating, protective shell, the enclosure including a peripheral wall framework having aeration holes defined therein, the wall framework closing off front and lateral sides of the circuit board enclosure and allowing further heat dissipation from an interior of the circuit board enclosure; a rear panel closing off the rear portion of the circuit board enclosure, the rear panel having slots adapted for receiving hot swappable configured electronic circuit board modules; a control protocol server disposed in the modular circuit board enclosure; a TCP/IP port operably connected to the control protocol server, the TCP/IP port facilitating data exchange between an external data network and the control protocol server; a PoE TCP/IP port operably connected to the control protocol server, the PoE TCP/IP port facilitating power control data exchange between the external data network and the control protocol server; an externally accessible AC mains receptacle disposed in the modular circuit board enclosure; an AC distribution unit disposed in the modular circuit board enclosure, the AC distribution unit accepting mains power from the AC mains receptacle; a plurality of externally accessible AC switched outlets disposed in the modular circuit board enclosure, the outlets being connected to the AC distribution unit; externally accessible DC outlets having a plurality of different DC output voltage type connectors; a DC aggregator/distributor disposed in the modular circuit board enclosure, the DC aggregator/distributor outputting voltages to the DC outlets according to the DC output voltage type connectors; a plurality of AC/DC transformers interconnecting the AC distribution unit and the DC aggregator/distributor; power control relays connected to the AC distribution unit for selectively configuring the DC power distribution; a DC power injector system accepting output from the DC aggregator/distributor; a multiport TCP/IP router modular circuit board disposed in the modular circuit board enclosure; a switch fabric electronic backplane disposed in the modular circuit board enclosure, the switch fabric electronic backplane being operably connected to the control protocol server and to the DC power injector system, the switch fabric electronic backplane being operably connected to the modular circuit boards to inject low voltage DC current and command protocols to inserted ones of the hot swappable configured electronic circuit board modules, to the multiport TCP/IP router modular circuit board, and to external devices connected to the external data network; means for controlling the switch fabric electronic backplane for cross-matrix switching, wherein an input of any first of the devices/modules is switched to accept an output of any second of the devices/modules; and means for controlling the switch fabric electronic backplane for power injection switching, wherein the any first of the devices/modules is powered up responsive to connection to an active any second of the devices/modules, and the any first of the devices/modules is completely powered down responsive to the any first of the devices/modules entering a standby mode.