Baby Monitor

• US 20090212926A1
• Filed: 02/23/2008
• Published: 08/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Qiwei Xiao, Ruoping Du
• Original Assignee: Qiwei Xiao, Ruoping Du
• Inventors: Du, Ruoping, Xiao, Qiwei
• Application Number:
  US12/036,239
• Publication Number:
  US 20090212926A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/310.110
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/06 using power transmission lines
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5483 using coupling circuits

Abstract

A baby monitor which eliminates potential harmful microwave effect of wireless signal generated by current wireless baby monitors. The baby monitor has a nursery unit, a parent unit, and optionally a gateway. The nursery unit consists of video or audio acquisition, amplifier, microcontroller, microcontroller-controlled band-pass filter, microcontroller-controlled carrier generator and modulator, power line coupling circuitry. It transmits signal to the parent unit or the gateway through power line. Parent unit includes power line coupling circuit, micro-controller, microcontroller-controlled band pass filter, super-heterodyne amplifier, video/audio modulator and video/audio player. Alternatively, the power coupling circuit, microcontroller, microcontroller-controlled band-pass filter and super-heterodyne amplifier in the parent unit can be separated and form a gateway device which then communicates with the parent unit wirelessly.

Claims

1. A baby monitor including:

a nursery unit, power line and a parent unit wherein

A. The signal output terminal of said nursery unit is plugged directly into the power outlet socket;

B. The signal input and output terminals of said parent unit are plugged directly into the power outlet socket;

C. Said nursery unit is connected to said parent unit by power line, The audio or video signal captured by said nursery unit modulates a carrier signal which is then sent to the power line, Said parent unit receives the modulated carrier, demodulates and replays the audio or video signal.

2. The baby monitor of claim 1 wherein said parent unit includes:

Power line coupling circuitry used to couple the carrier signal of the nursery unit to the power line and the signal in power line to the nursery unit;

Band-pass filter to select and amplify the signal from power line so as to measure the signal-to-noise ratio at each frequencies;

Microcontroller to control the center frequency of said band-pass filter, measure the signal-to-noise ratio at each frequencies, determines and controls the frequency of the carrier signal generated by the carrier generator;

Audio or video capture circuit consisting of microphone or video camera to acquire audio or video of the baby;

At least one carrier generator to generate at least one carrier signal for transmitting the acquired audio and video signal to power line;

At least one modulator to modulate the audio and video signal to the carrier.

3. The baby monitor of claim 1 wherein said nursery unit includes:

Power line coupling circuit, used to couple the carrier signal in power line to parent unit;

At least one band-pass filer used to select and amplify signal from power line;

Microcontroller, used to control the center frequency of said band-pass filter and determine the frequency of carrier signal;

At least one demodulator, used to demodulate the audio or video signal from the carrier;

Audio amplifier or video processing circuitry, used to process and replay the voice or video signal demodulated from the carrier.

4. The baby monitor of claim 2 or 3 wherein said power line coupling circuitry consists of a high frequency transformer and a capacitor in tandem. The capacitor is used to cut off 50 HZ or 60 HZ low frequency signal and allow high frequency carrier signal to pass, the high-frequency transformer is used to allow the pass of high frequency signal and cut off 50 HZ or 60 HZ power frequency, and isolate the unit from power line.

5. A baby monitor including a nursery unit, power line, gateway and a parent unit wherein

A. The input and output terminals of said nursery unit are plugged directly into power line socket;

B. One signal input terminal of said gateway is plugged directly into the power outlet socket and is connected to the nursery unit by the power line, it also contains another signal output terminal for wireless transmitter used to connect to said parent unit;

C. One of the signal input terminal of said parent unit is a wireless receiver device, it connects to said gateway wirelessly and receives the high frequency carrier signal from the gateway.

6. The baby monitor of claim 5 wherein said nursery unit includes:

Power line coupling circuitry used to couple the carrier signal of the nursery unit to the power line and the signal in power line to the nursery unit;

Band-pass filter to select and amplify the signal from power line so as to measure the signal-to-noise ratio at each frequencies;

Microcontroller to control the center frequency of said band-pass filter, measure the signal-to-noise ratio at each frequencies, determine and control the frequency of carrier signal generated by the carrier generator;

Audio or video capture circuitry consisting of microphone or video camera to acquire audio or video of the baby;

At least one carrier generator to generate at least one carrier signal for transmitting the acquired audio and video signal to power line;

At least one modulator to modulate the audio and video signal to the carrier.

7. The baby monitor of claim 5 wherein said gateway contains power line coupling circuit used to couple the carrier signal in power line to gateway;

At least one band-pass filer used to select and amplify signal from power line;

Microcontroller, used to control the central frequency of the band-pass filter and determine the frequency point of carrier signal;

At least one demodulator, used to demodulate the audio or video signal from the carrier;

At least one wireless modulator used to modulate the audio or video signal to radio frequency carrier which is then amplified and transmitted to space to be received by the parent unit.

8. The baby monitor of claim 5 wherein said parent unit has at least one wireless receiving amplifier used to amplify radio frequency carrier received from the antenna;

At least one demodulator used to demodulate audio or video signal from the high frequency carrier;

Audio amplifier or video process circuit, used to process and play back the demodulated audio or video signal.

9. The baby monitor of claim 6 or 7 wherein said power line coupling circuitry consists of a high frequency transformer and a capacitor in tandem, the capacitor is used to cut off 50 HZ or 60 HZ low frequency signal and allow high frequency signal to pass, the high-frequency transformer is used to allow the pass of high frequency signal and cut off 50 HZ or 60 HZ power frequency, and isolate the unit from power line.