Power-line communication systems AMD methods having location-extendable collector for end-point data
First Claim
1. A power-line communication (PLC) apparatus for collecting information, for assessment by a power utility company, over power lines connecting to a plurality of customer sites, the apparatus comprising:
- a plurality of communication devices respectively and communicatively associated with the plurality of customer sites, each of the plurality of communication devices configured and arranged to operate by power received over the power lines at the associated customer site, and to communicate data over the power lines via a customer-site transformer;
a central processing circuit configured and arranged, on behalf of the power utility company, to collect information derived from the data sent over the power lines from each of the plurality of communication devices, by using a broadband communication network for carrying the collected information; and
a remoteable data-collector circuit including;
a plurality of data interface units, each of the plurality of data interface units including a transformer circuit for selectively receiving data from a subset of the plurality of communication devices via the power lines, including a transformer-coupling circuit for selectively sending data to the subset of the plurality of communication devices via the power lines, and including a high-throughput data driver circuit for outputting data in accordance with a data-transfer protocol, the data-transfer protocol being common to high throughput driver circuits of each of the plurality of data interface units; and
a PLC end-point device data computation circuit including a plurality of high-throughput data reception circuits and configured and arranged to operate at a location that is remote from the plurality of customer sites, to be communicatively coupled to each of the plurality of communication devices over the power lines via the plurality of data interface units, to receive data from each of the plurality of data interface units in parallel via the high-throughput data reception circuits and in accordance with the data-transfer protocol, and to communicate data with and send the collected information to the central processing circuit via the broadband communication network.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Power-line communication (PLC) systems collect information over power lines from end-point devices respectively associated with customer sites, for assessment by a central processing circuit operated on behalf of a power utility company. In the PLC system, each of a number of PLC data-collector circuits includes a plurality of data interface units and PLC end-point device data computation circuit. Typically, one data interface circuit is located proximate, and another is distal, the location of the computation circuit. Each data interface unit includes a transformer circuit for selectively receiving data from a subset of the end-point devices via the power lines, a transformer-coupling circuit for selectively sending data to the subset of the end-point devices via the power lines, and a high-throughput data driver circuit for outputting data in accordance with a data-transfer protocol which is common to the other high throughput driver circuits which operate in accordance with the data-transfer protocol.
64 Citations
10 Claims
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1. A power-line communication (PLC) apparatus for collecting information, for assessment by a power utility company, over power lines connecting to a plurality of customer sites, the apparatus comprising:
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a plurality of communication devices respectively and communicatively associated with the plurality of customer sites, each of the plurality of communication devices configured and arranged to operate by power received over the power lines at the associated customer site, and to communicate data over the power lines via a customer-site transformer; a central processing circuit configured and arranged, on behalf of the power utility company, to collect information derived from the data sent over the power lines from each of the plurality of communication devices, by using a broadband communication network for carrying the collected information; and a remoteable data-collector circuit including; a plurality of data interface units, each of the plurality of data interface units including a transformer circuit for selectively receiving data from a subset of the plurality of communication devices via the power lines, including a transformer-coupling circuit for selectively sending data to the subset of the plurality of communication devices via the power lines, and including a high-throughput data driver circuit for outputting data in accordance with a data-transfer protocol, the data-transfer protocol being common to high throughput driver circuits of each of the plurality of data interface units; and a PLC end-point device data computation circuit including a plurality of high-throughput data reception circuits and configured and arranged to operate at a location that is remote from the plurality of customer sites, to be communicatively coupled to each of the plurality of communication devices over the power lines via the plurality of data interface units, to receive data from each of the plurality of data interface units in parallel via the high-throughput data reception circuits and in accordance with the data-transfer protocol, and to communicate data with and send the collected information to the central processing circuit via the broadband communication network. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method for collecting information, for assessment by a power utility company, over power lines connecting to a plurality of customer sites, the method comprising:
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providing power to a plurality of communication devices respectively and communicatively associated with the plurality of customer sites via power lines, and communicating data, by the plurality of communications devices, over the power lines via a customer-site transformer; carrying and collecting, on behalf of the power utility company and by a central processing circuit, information derived from the data sent over the power lines from each of the plurality of communication devices, using a broadband communication network for carrying the collected information; and using a remoteable data-collector circuit to; selectively receive, via a plurality of data interface units of the remoteable data-collector circuit and with each of the plurality of data interface units including a transformer circuit, data from a subset of the plurality of communication devices via the power lines; selectively send, via a transformer-coupling circuit of the plurality of data interface units, data to the subset of the plurality of communication devices via the power lines; output, via a high-throughput data driver circuit of the plurality of data interface units, data in accordance with a data-transfer protocol, the data-transfer protocol being common to high throughput data driver circuits of each of the plurality of data interface units; and receive, via a PLC end-point device data computation circuit of the remoteable data-collector circuit, the PLC end-point device data computation circuit having high-throughput data reception circuits, data from each of the plurality of data interface units in parallel and in accordance with the data-transfer protocol, and communicating data with and sending the collected information to the central processing circuit via the broadband communication network, wherein the PLC end-point device data computation circuit includes a plurality of high-throughput data reception circuits and configured and arranged to operate at a location that is remote from the plurality of customer sites, to be communicatively coupled to each of the plurality of communication devices over the power lines via the plurality of data interface units. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10)
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Specification