Outbound signal detector system and method
First Claim
1. In a communication system in which outbound information is carried by cyclic waveforms over an electric power distribution network, said information being transmitted in the form of multi-bit messages, a signal detection method for detecting the outbound messages at a location physically separated from the source of the outbound messages, said signal detection method comprising:
- (a) obtaining signal data by sampling the cyclic waveform over a predetermined portion of successive cycles;
(b) dividing the predetermined portion into a plurality of predetermined ranges;
(c) from a predetermined number of bits at the start of each message, selecting the particular predetermined range which contains the greatest signal strength;
(d) for the remaining bits of the message, analyzing only those samples in the selected range to detect the outbound message.
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Accused Products
Abstract
In a communication system in which outbound information in the form of multi-bit messages is carried by cyclic waveforms over an electric power distribution network, the signal is detected independently at any of a plurality of locations remote from the source by obtaining signal data by sampling the cyclic waveform over a predetermined portion of successive cycles. The predetermined portion is divided into a plurality of predetermined ranges. From a predetermined number of bits at the start of each message, the particular predetermined range which contains the greatest signal strength is selected. For the remaining bits of the message, only those samples in the selected range are analyzed to detect the outbound message. To reject cross-talk, preselected ranges in which cross-talk signals are likely to appear are monitored, and the in-phase messages are rejected when theh signal strength in the in-phase range is less than the signal strength in at least one of the cross-talk ranges.
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Citations
33 Claims
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1. In a communication system in which outbound information is carried by cyclic waveforms over an electric power distribution network, said information being transmitted in the form of multi-bit messages, a signal detection method for detecting the outbound messages at a location physically separated from the source of the outbound messages, said signal detection method comprising:
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(a) obtaining signal data by sampling the cyclic waveform over a predetermined portion of successive cycles; (b) dividing the predetermined portion into a plurality of predetermined ranges; (c) from a predetermined number of bits at the start of each message, selecting the particular predetermined range which contains the greatest signal strength; (d) for the remaining bits of the message, analyzing only those samples in the selected range to detect the outbound message. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. In a communication system in which outbound information is carried by cyclic waveforms over an electric power distribution network, said information being transmitted in the form of multi-bit messages, a signal detection system for detecting the outbound messages at a location physically separated from the source of the outbound messages, said signal detection system comprising:
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means for obtaining signal data by sampling the cyclic waveform over a predetermined portion of successive cycles, said predetermined portion being divided into a plurality of predetermined ranges; means responsive to the signal data for examining the signal data and, from a predetermined number of bits at the start of each message, selecting the particular predetermined range which contains the greatest signal strength, said means being responsive to the selection of a particular predetermined range to analyze only those samples in the selected range, for the remaining bits of the message, to detect the outbound message. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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Specification