Power line communication system having time server

• US 7,180,412 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2003
• Issued: 02/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hunt Techonologies Incorporated (Landis+Gyr Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Hunt Techonologies Incorporated (Landis+Gyr Group AG)
• Inventors: Flen, Rolf J., Bonicatto, Damian G., Olson, Verne J., Olson, David F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Benjamin C.
• Application Number:
  US10/626,465
• Publication Number:
  US 20050017847A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,307 Days
• Field of Search: 340/310.01, 340/310.06, 375/345
• US Class Current: 340/538.11
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/004 Remote reading of utility meters to a fixed location
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5416 by adding signals to the wave form of the power source
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5466 using three phases conductors
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/54 Systems for transmission via power distribution lines
• 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 20/30 Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading

Abstract

A system for bi-directional power distribution line communication. The system is configured for data communication with an endpoint transceiver located at a customer premise. The system comprises a time server in electrical communication with the transceiver, the time server configured to retrieve the time. A substation controller is in electrical communication with a power distribution line. The substation controller includes a transceiver and a programmable circuit. The programmable circuit includes a substation clock. The programmable circuit is programmed to periodically retrieve the time from the time server to calibrate the substation clock to the retrieved time, and to control the transceiver to transmit the time to the endpoint transceiver.

Claims

1. A system for bi-directional power distribution line communication, the system configured for data communication with an endpoint transceiver located at a customer premise, the system comprising:

a timer server configured to retrieve the time; and

a substation controller in electrical communication with a power distribution line, the substation controller including a substation transceiver and substation programmable circuit, the substation programmable circuit including a substation clock, the substation programmable circuit programmed to,

periodically retrieve the time from the time server to calibrate the substation clock to the retrieved time, and

control the substation transceiver to transmit the time to the endpoint transceiver, the time being transmitted to the endpoint transceiver over the power distribution line including at least one transformer that steps down a power signal from a first voltage to a second voltage wherein the endpoint transceiver is configured to communicate with the substation controller over a first sub-sub-channel of a plurality of sub-sub-channels separated within a sub-channel on the power distribution line, each of the plurality of sub-sub-channels configured to be respectively assigned to different ones of a plurality of endpoint transceivers, each of the sub-sub-channel configured to have a predetermined bandwidth.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the time server is programmed to adjust the time for the time zone in the geographic region in which the system is located to determine an adjusted time; and

the time retrieved by the programmable circuit is the adjusted time.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the substation programmable circuit is further programmed to adjust the time for the time zone in the geographic region in which the system is located to determine an adjusted time; and

the time transmitted by the substation transceiver is the adjusted time.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein:

the substation programmable circuit is further programmed to adjust the time for daylight savings time during period where the geographic region in which the system is located recognizes daylight savings time.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the time retrieved by the time server is Universal Time Coordinated (UTC).

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the time is retrieved from the global positioning system.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the time is retrieved from a radio signal carrying the time generated from an atomic clock.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the substation programmable circuit is programmed to control the substation transceiver to transmit the time to the endpoint transceiver about once every five minutes.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising the endpoint transceiver including an endpoint programmable circuit and an endpoint clock, the endpoint transceiver programmed to calibrate the endpoint clock to the time received from the substation controller upon receiving the time from the substation controller.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the substation controller being in electrical communication with the power distribution line comprises the substation controller being in electrical communication with the power distribution line comprising a three-phase power distribution line having three bare conductors spanned between poles for at least a portion of the power distribution line.