Control apparatus and control method for managing communications between multiple electrical appliances through a household power line network

• US 6,975,211 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2003
• Issued: 12/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Communications Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Communications Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Uchiyama, Masaharu, Atsuta, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): Blount, Eric
• Application Number:
  US10/682,973
• Publication Number:
  US 20040122531A1
• Time in Patent Office: 791 Days
• Field of Search: 34031001-31008, 340/870.18, 340/505, 340/286.02, 332184-185, 700/1, 700/9, 700/10, 375/258, 375/259
• US Class Current: 340/12.33
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00009 using pulsed signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5416 by adding signals to the wave form of the power source
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5445 Local network
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/545 Audio/video application, e.g. interphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5483 using coupling circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5491 using filtering and bypassing
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/54 Systems for transmission via power distribution lines
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2836 Protocol conversion between an external network and a home network controlling appliance services of a home automation network from a device located outside the home and the home network H04L12/2818; protocol conversion H04L69/08; adaptation of digital video signals for transport over a specific home network H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2843 Mains power line
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/20 End-user application control systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/00 Systems for electrical power generation, transmission, distribution or end-user application management characterised by the use of communication or information technologies, or communication or information technology specific aspects supporting them
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/121 using the power network as support for the transmission

Abstract

The present invention relates to a control apparatus for managing communications between a plurality of electric appliances connected to a household power line network. The apparatus transmits a plurality of types of modulation method control signals to each of the plurality of electric appliances, each type of control signal utilizing a different modulation method. When receiving a response from each electric appliance, the apparatus detects to which type of modulation method control signal the response was made and judges the type of the modulation method that is utilized in each electric appliance based on the detection.

Claims

1. A control apparatus for managing communications between a plurality of electric appliances connected to a household power line network, comprising;

a power line communicator that is capable of transmitting a plurality of different types of modulation method control signals to each of a plurality of electric appliances via the household power line network, each type of control signals utilizing a different modulation method;

a controller that receives, from each electric appliance connected to the household power line network, a response via the household power line network to one of the plurality of different types of modulation method control signals said controller detecting which type of modulation method control signal based on said received response to judge the type of modulation method that is utilized in each electric appliance.

2. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of types of modulation method control signals include at least two of a Phase Shift Keying (PSK) modulation method, a Frequency Shift Keying (FSK) modulation method, and an Amplitude Shift Keying (ASK) modulation method.

3. A control apparatus for managing communications between a plurality of electric appliances connected to a household power line network, comprising;

a power line communicator that receives modulation method control signals from multiple electric appliances;

a controller that detects shift points of the carrier wave of said modulation method control signals, that judges, based on an interval of said shift points, which type of modulation method is utilized in each electric appliance and that stores the type of modulation method utilized in each electric appliance.

4. The control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said controller detects one of a phase shift point, a frequency shift point, and an amplitude shift point to decide said interval of shift points, and judges, based on a result of said detection, which type of modulation method is utilized in each said electric appliance.

5. The control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said controller detects one of a phase shift point, a frequency shift point, and an amplitude shift point to decide said interval of shift points, and judges, based on a result of said detection, that said electric appliance utilizes a Phase Shift Keying (PSK) modulation method when a phase shift point is detected, that said electric appliance utilizes a Frequency Shift Keying (FSK) modulation method when a frequency shift point is detected, and that said electric appliance utilizes an Amplitude Shift Keying (ASK) modulation method when an amplitude shift point is detected.

6. A control apparatus for managing communications between a plurality of electric appliances connected to a household power line network, comprising;

a memory that stores information regarding which type of modulation method is utilized in each electric appliance;

a power line communicator that receives a modulation method control signal from a first electric appliance and transmits a modulation method control signal to a second electric appliance;

a controller that compares the type of modulation method of the first electric appliance with the type of modulation method of the second electric appliance, and converts the type of the modulation method control signal of the first electric appliance into the type of the modulation method control signal of the second electric appliance when the type of modulation method utilized in the first electric appliance is different from that of the second electric appliance.

7. The control apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said controller detects one of a phase shift point, a frequency shift point, and an amplitude shift point to decide said interval of shift points, and judges which type of modulation method is utilized in said each electric appliance.

8. The control apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said controller detects one of a phase shift point, a frequency shift point, and an amplitude shift point to decide said interval of shift points, and judges, based on a result of said detection, that said electric appliance utilizes a Phase Shift Keying (PSK) modulation method when a phase shift point is detected, that said electric appliance utilizes a Frequency Shift Keying (FSK) modulation method when a frequency shift point is detected, and that said electric appliance utilizes an Amplitude Shift Keying (ASK) modulation method when an amplitude shift point is detected.

9. A control method for managing communications between a plurality of electric appliances connected to a household power line network, comprising:

transmitting a plurality of different types of modulation method control signals to each of plurality of electric appliances via the household power line network, each type of modulation method control signal utilizing a different modulation method;

receiving, from each electric appliance connected to the household power line network, a response via the household power line network to one of the plurality of different types of modulation method control signals;

detecting which type of modulation method control signal based upon the received response;

judging the type of the modulation method that is utilized in each electric appliance based on the detection.

10. The control apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of types of modulation method signals include at least two of a Phase Shift Keying (PSK) modulation method, a Frequency Shift Keying (FSK) modulation method, and an Amplitude Shift Keying (ASK) modulation method.

11. A control method for managing communications between a plurality of electric appliances connected to a household power line network, comprising:

receiving modulation method control signals from a plurality of electric appliances;

detecting the shift points of the carrier wave of the modulation method control signals;

judging, based on the interval of said shift points, which type of modulation method is utilized in each electric appliance;

storing the type of modulation method utilized in each electric appliance.

12. The control method according to claim 11, wherein, the judging which type of modulation method is utilized in said each electric appliance, comprises detecting one of a phase shift point, a frequency shift point, and an amplitude shift point based on an interval of the shift points.

13. The control method according to claim 11, wherein by detecting one of a phase shift point, a frequency shift point and an amplitude shift point based on said interval of shift points, it is judged that said electric appliance utilizes a Phase Shift Keying (PSK) modulation method when a phase shift point detected, that said electric appliance utilizes a Frequency Shift Keying (FSK) modulation method when a frequency shift point is detected, and that said electric appliance utilizes an Amplitude Shift Keying (ASK) modulation method when an amplitude shift point is detected.

14. A control method for managing communications between a plurality of electric appliances connected to a household power line network, including a memory that stores information regarding which type of modulation method is utilized in each electric appliance, comprising:

receiving a modulation method control signal from a first electric appliance, said modulation method control signal to be sent to a second electric appliance;

comparing the type of modulation method of the first electric appliance with the type of modulation method of the second electric appliance;

converting the type of the modulation method control signal of the first electric appliance into the type of the modulation method control signal of the second electric appliance when, based on a result of the comparing, the type of modulation method utilized in the first electric appliance is different from that of the second electric appliance;

transmitting said converted modulation method control signal to the second electric appliance.

15. The control method according to claim 14, further comprising detecting one of a phase shift point, a frequency shift point, and an amplitude shift point based on an interval of the shift points, and judging which type of modulation method is utilized in said each electric appliance.

16. The control method according to claim 14, further comprising detecting one of a phase shift point, a frequency shift point and an amplitude shift point based on an interval of the shift points, and judging that said electric appliance utilizes a Phase Shift Keying (PSK) modulation method when a phase shift point is detected, that said electric appliance utilizes a Frequency Shift Keying (FSK) modulation method when a frequency shift point is detected, and that said electric appliance utilizes an Amplitude Shift Keying (ASK) modulation method when an amplitude shift point is detected.