| 摘要 |
To initiate the transmission of electrical power over a telecommunications connection 14 from a power-collecting telecommunications interface unit 16 such as a customer premises equipment, connectable to a power supply 18, to a power-receiving unit (22, Fig 4) such as a kerbside electrical/optical interface, when a connection 14 is first established, or the collecting unit is first powered up, or in order to re-establish connection after a power outage, control signals are transmitted between low-power modems 55 in the interface units using a low-power communications protocol. This allows the controlled initiation of a larger power output and a higher speed exchange of data once the full telecommunications connection has been established. A low-powered beacon signal is transmitted over the telecommunications connection 14 by the power-collecting telecommunications interface unit on connection to a power supply 18, for detection by the power-receiving telecommunications interface unit. In the event of a loss of power at the input 18, the low power modem 55 initiates power management control signals to cause the power-receiving telecommunications interface to shut down certain functions in order to preserve backup power for essential "lifeline" services. |
