Inova Solutions gets patent for power-over-Ethernet technology

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Inova Solutions has announced that has received a patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Inova’s patent, number 7,633,405, was granted for LED visual messaging devices that utilize high-efficiency LEDs, current-driven circuits and a 1x yellow algorithm. "This Power-over-Ethernet patent is an exciting and important step in Inova Solutions’ history. Our customers have seen incredible cost savings with this new technology and Inova is proud to further solidify its role as a market leader in 'green' technology,"  said Larry Moulis, chief technology officer at Inova Solutions.The use of current-driven, rather than voltage-driven, circuits reduces power consumption and enables the LED display to be powered from IEEE 802.3af (PoE) standard-based power sources. Current-driven circuits supply only as much power as the device needs to run, eliminating energy waste and providing significant cost savings. These LED displays can be powered over standard Ethernet Cat-5 (or better) cabling, using PoE technology and do not require a separate AC power supply.To maintain energy efficiency and allow LEDs to illuminate in yellow, versus strictly red or green, Inova Solutions developed the 1x yellow algorithm. Undetectable by the human eye, the red LED within the pixel and the green LED within the pixel rapidly blink back and forth giving the appearance of a solid yellow LED pixel. Prior to Inova's development of the 1x yellow algorithm, the red and green LEDs were illuminated at the same time, thus doubling the amount of energy needed to run the device with yellow messaging. This new algorithm creates the yellow color with half the instantaneous current of previous circuits. Combining high-efficiency LEDs, current-driven circuits and the 1x yellow algorithm results in a display with dramatically reduced power consumption without compromising vividness or clarity. Inova is currently using its invention in LED displays which serve as messaging units in a variety of arenas, including contact centers, higher education institutions and transit centers. These LED displays serve as valuable visual notification devices for information that must be distributed quickly and efficiently.