Method of, and apparatus for, information communication via a power line conductor
First Claim
1. A method for transmission of information over at least one conductor of a power distribution system, comprising the steps of:
- (a) receiving, at a transmitter, a local data signal containing the information to be transmitted;
(b) receiving, at the transmitter, at least one PLC signal, each at a power-line-carrier (PLC) communications frequency and each from an associated first conductor portion of the system;
(c) processing the local data signal and the at least one PLC signal to generate in the transmitter an output PLC signal, also at the PLC frequency;
(d) coupling at least a portion of the output PLC signal through the non-saturating core of a transmitter-coupling current transformer to inject a PLC current into a second conductor portion of the system; and
(e) recovering the transmitted information with a receiver connected to a system conductor at a location different from the location of the transmitter.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method for transmission of information, received at a transmitter of a power distribution system, over at least one conductor of that distribution system, requires the reception, at the transmitter, also of at least one PLC signal at a power-line communications (PLC) frequency and from an associated first conductor portion of the system. The transmitter processes the local data signal and the PLC signal to generate another PLC signal, also at the PLC frequency, which is coupled through the non-saturating core of a transmitter-coupling current transformer to inject a PLC current into a second conductor portion of the system. The PLC signal is eventually received by a receiver, connected to a system conductor at a location different from the location of the transmitter, and the transmitted information is recovered therefrom.
-
Citations
20 Claims
-
1. A method for transmission of information over at least one conductor of a power distribution system, comprising the steps of:
-
(a) receiving, at a transmitter, a local data signal containing the information to be transmitted; (b) receiving, at the transmitter, at least one PLC signal, each at a power-line-carrier (PLC) communications frequency and each from an associated first conductor portion of the system; (c) processing the local data signal and the at least one PLC signal to generate in the transmitter an output PLC signal, also at the PLC frequency; (d) coupling at least a portion of the output PLC signal through the non-saturating core of a transmitter-coupling current transformer to inject a PLC current into a second conductor portion of the system; and (e) recovering the transmitted information with a receiver connected to a system conductor at a location different from the location of the transmitter. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
-
-
13. A system for the transmission of information over at least one conductor of a power distribution system, comprising:
-
at least one receiver means for recovering information modulated onto at least one carrier signal at a power-line-carrier (PLC) communications frequency at least two orders of magnitude greater than the power frequency in the distribution system; at least one transmitter means for providing the at least one carrier signal responsive to both a local information signal and a control signal; at least one current transformer means, each having a magnetic core which does not saturate at any magnitude of distribution system load current flowing therethrough, each for coupling the at least one carrier signal from an associated transmitter means onto the associated system conductor; and at least one means, associated with each transmitter means, for coupling a portion of the PLC signal on a selected one of the at least one distribution system conductor as the control signal to that selected transmitter means. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15)
-
-
16. A transmitter for use in a power-line-carrier (PLC) information communication system, comprising:
-
a differential amplifier having a pair of differential inputs and a pair of differential outputs between which appears an output signal with increased amplitude with respect to the amplitude of an input signal applied between said pair of inputs, said differential amplifier having an output impedance at a power-distribution frequency which is at least one order of magnitude less than the output impedance at a PLC frequency at least two orders of magnitude greater than the power-distribution frequency; means for receiving a local data signal containing information to be communicated over the system; means for receiving a control signal, at the PLC frequency, from the system; and means for processing the local and control signals to provide to the differential amplifier the input signal at the PLC frequency. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
-
Specification