Patent ID: 8164216

Claim:
A modular electrical system, comprising: a supply voltage line comprising a first voltage line a second voltage line, each having a respective voltage polarity, which is different relative to one another; a two-wire line comprising a first line and a second line; a first current-emitting source module having a first connecting link and a second connecting link respectively coupled to the first and second voltage lines of the supply voltage line, and further having a third connecting link and a fourth connecting link respectively coupled to the first and second lines of the two-wire line, the first current-emitting source module including a first source identification circuit, which includes at least one current source electrically coupled between one of the first and second voltage lines of the supply voltage and one of the first and second lines of the two-wire line, said at least one current source coupled to inject an amount of source current arranged to identify a power source capacity of the first current-emitting source module; and a first current-consuming sink module having a first connecting link and a second connecting link respectively coupled to the first and second voltage lines of the supply voltage, and further having a third connecting link and a fourth connecting link respectively coupled to the first and second lines, the first current-consuming sink module connected in parallel circuit to the first current-emitting source module, the first current-consuming sink module including a first sink identification circuit, which includes at least one resistive element electrically coupled between one of the first and second voltage lines of the supply voltage and one of the first and second lines of the two-wire line, said at least one resistive element coupled to sink an amount of sink current arranged to identify a maximum power consumption requirement of the first current-consuming sink module, wherein a differential voltage is generated between the first and second lines of the two-wire line, the differential voltage resulting from a difference between source current and sink current, wherein the differential voltage is indicative of a power balance between the first current-emitting source module and the first current-emitting sink module of the modular electrical system.