Direct current power line communication control device using H-bridge circuit

• US 10,298,292 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2015
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TinyPowers Co.,Ltd.
• Original Assignee: TinyPowers Co.,Ltd.
• Inventors: Choi, ChangJoon, Choi, JaeBoo
• Primary Examiner(s): Vlahos, Sophia
• Application Number:
  US15/317,459
• Publication Number:
  US 20170111086A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,434 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 19/02 in which the signal transmitted is magnitude of current or voltage G08C19/36, G08C19/38 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/54 Systems for transmission via power distribution lines
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/548 the power on the line being DC arrangements for feeding power H04L12/10; extracting feeding power from signals H04L25/02
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/20 Controlling the colour of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/46 having LEDs disposed in parallel lines
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/165 following a pre-assigned programmed sequence; Logic control [LC]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/185 via power line carrier transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/30 Semiconductor lamps, e.g. solid state lamps [SSL] light emitting diodes [LED] or organic LED [OLED]

Abstract

Polarities of voltages on a plurality of electric wires are reversed with an H-bridge circuit applied in accordance with control information or data to be transmitted, information or data transmitted as change of polarities is found on the reception side, and the transmitted power is restored to direct current power through a bridge diode circuit and is used as power supplied to a load. Each load has a unique ID input and storage means, and the present invention is a communication method in which the unique ID is designated to the transmitted information or IDs are designated to groups to control a load. In addition, it is a method for spreading a PWM operation time to minimize noise generated in accordance with PWM driving on the reception side. In a direct current transmission and reception environment, data or a command signal for power demand response is mapped with the polarity of voltage and is transmitted to each customer, and it may be applied to the power demand response technique.

Claims

1. An apparatus for transmitting not only direct current (DC) power, but also a control command or data through a power line, the apparatus comprising;

two or more electric wires connecting a transmission side and a reception side;

a DC power source connected to the transmission side;

one or more DC power loads connected to the reception side;

an H-bridge driving circuit disposed in the transmission side, the H-bridge driving circuit being connected to an output terminal of the DC power source;

an interface (I/F) unit disposed in the transmission side and connected to an external signal source for accepting external control signal and connected to a first microcontroller or the H-Bridge driving circuit directly, the first microcontroller being disposed in the transmission side, the first microcontroller or the interface (I/F) unit controlling an output of the H-Bridge driving circuit, wherein the H-bridge driving circuit normally outputs a different level of flat voltage through each of the two or more electric wires, but outputs voltage polarity (+),(−

) conversion patterns when transmitting a control command or data to the electric wires by the first microcontroller or the external signal source, the voltage polarity (+),(−

) conversion patterns indicating which electric wire'"'"'s voltage level is higher than the other as time passes and being mapped to the digital bit information ‘

0’

or ‘

1’

of the control command or the data to be transmitted, and the control command or data being restored by analyzing the voltage polarity(+), (−

) conversion patterns of output power;

a rectifier circuit, which is disposed in the reception side and which consists of bridge diode circuit or active bridge circuit, normally receiving the flat voltage and letting the flat voltage pass therethrough, but receiving the voltage level polarity (+), (−

) conversion patterns and rectifying the voltage polarity (+), (−

) conversion patterns into a flat DC power when transmitting the control command or data, the flat DC power from a signal output end of the rectifier circuit being used as a power source for the one or more DC power loads and for circuits of the reception side;

a second microcontroller or a dedicated logic circuit disposed in the reception side;

and a level shift unit disposed in the reception side, which is connected to a signal input end of the rectifier circuit, the level shift unit changing a level of voltage of one of the two or more electric wires to a level that can be used in the second microcontroller or the dedicated logic circuit, wherein the second microcontroller or the dedicated logic circuit analyzes the level-shifted voltage polarity (+), (−

) conversion patterns, and decodes them to a transmitted control command or data for load control.