Patent ID: 8020013
Filing Date: 2011-09-13
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. An adjustable-voltage Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) switch configured to provide data signals and/or output electrical powers to a plurality of output PoE ports, the adjustable-voltage PoE switch comprising: a plurality of input Ethernet ports configured to carry the data signals and/or one or more input electrical powers as an Ethernet data transfer or a Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) data transfer; a MAC interface between the plurality of input Ethernet ports and a microprocessor for the adjustable-voltage PoE switch, wherein the MAC interface analyzes and fetches a remote TCP/IP-based voltage adjustment instruction for a voltage adjustment of a particular output PoE port, and wherein the microprocessor executes the remote TCP-IP-based voltage adjustment instruction using a power source equipment (PSE) controller and at least one of plurality of controlled voltage sources to achieve the voltage adjustment of the particular output PoE port; the power source equipment (PSE) controller configured to control a delivery of a direct-current (DC) power as the output electrical powers to the plurality of controlled voltage sources, wherein the DC power is generated by a power supply unit; the plurality of controlled voltage sources configured to regulate output voltages for the output electrical powers in the plurality of output PoE ports; a plurality of transformers configured to combine or separate at least some portions of the output electrical powers from at least some portions of the data signals; the plurality of output PoE ports, wherein one of the plurality of output PoE ports is configured to supply some portions of the output electrical powers and some portions of the data signals to a first external device; an output voltage-adjusting interface configured to enable a user to select a specific output voltage for a specific output PoE port manually among the plurality of output PoE ports; and the microprocessor further configured to take input from the output voltage-adjusting interface and configured to control the PSE controller, the power supply unit, and the plurality of controlled voltage sources.