Using an electric power cable as the vehicle for communicating an information-bearing signal through a barrier
First Claim
1. A method for communicating an electromagnetic signal from a first side of a building wall to a second side of the building wall, there being a cable that passes through the building wall, the method comprising launching the electromagnetic signal in such a way that it includes a substantial surface wave mode that propagates along the path of said cable that passes through the building wall.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The RF signal generated by a ZigBee radio on the outside of a building structure is conveyed to the interior of the building by guiding it as a surface wave along an electric cable bundle that passes through the building'"'"'s wall to supply domestic electric power to the interior of the structure. The RF signal is launched by a unique coupler comprising a pair of insulated foil conductors.
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Citations
16 Claims
- 1. A method for communicating an electromagnetic signal from a first side of a building wall to a second side of the building wall, there being a cable that passes through the building wall, the method comprising launching the electromagnetic signal in such a way that it includes a substantial surface wave mode that propagates along the path of said cable that passes through the building wall.
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5. A method comprising
installing a coupler on the outside of a domestic power cable that extends through a wall of a building, the coupler being configured to receive a signal bearing information and being further configured to launch, along the outside of the cable, a surface wave carrying said information, and interconnecting an output of a source of a signal bearing information to the coupler.
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7. A method comprising
installing a coupler on the outside of a domestic power cable that extends through a wall of a building from a first side of the wall to a second side of the wall, the coupler being installed on the second side of the wall and being configured to couple, from the domestic power cable, a surface wave propagating along the outside of the cable to the second side of the building wall.
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11. In combination,
an electrical power cable comprising at least one phase conductor, at least one ground conductor, and a conductive shield surrounding the at least one phase conductor and the at least one ground conductor, the cable being of at least a size specified by the National Electrical Code for supplying 100 amperes of service to a breaker box inside a premises, a coupler installed on the cable, the coupler being configured to launch surface electromagnetic waves along a path of the cable.
Specification