Power line communication system, device and method
First Claim
1. A device for communicating over a power line having a voltage greater than one thousand volts, the power line forming part of a power distribution system that supplies power to one or more customer premises and wherein each of the one or more customer premises receives power via a low voltage power line that is electrically connected to a distribution transformer, the device comprising:
- a capacitive coupler configured to couple data to and from the power line;
a first modem configured to communicate data over the power line via said coupler;
a downstream interface communicatively coupled to said first modem and configured to communicate with one or more utility devices configured to communicate measured utility data; and
wherein said coupler, said first modem, and said downstream interface are configured to provide at least part of a data path between the power line and one or more utility devices at one or more customer residences to thereby bypass the distribution transformer.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A signal is received from a first portion of a power line via a connection to the power line and at least a portion of the signal is converted to a non-electrically conducting signal. The non-electrically conducting signal may be communicated to a non-electrically conductive communication path. In this manner, the non-electrically conducting signal may have properties that do not provide imminent danger from human contact.
85 Citations
63 Claims
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1. A device for communicating over a power line having a voltage greater than one thousand volts, the power line forming part of a power distribution system that supplies power to one or more customer premises and wherein each of the one or more customer premises receives power via a low voltage power line that is electrically connected to a distribution transformer, the device comprising:
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a capacitive coupler configured to couple data to and from the power line; a first modem configured to communicate data over the power line via said coupler; a downstream interface communicatively coupled to said first modem and configured to communicate with one or more utility devices configured to communicate measured utility data; and wherein said coupler, said first modem, and said downstream interface are configured to provide at least part of a data path between the power line and one or more utility devices at one or more customer residences to thereby bypass the distribution transformer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A device for communicating over a power line having a voltage greater than one thousand volts, the power line forming part of a power distribution system that supplies power to a plurality of customer premises and wherein each of the plurality customer premises receives power via a low voltage power line that is electrically connected to a distribution transformer, the system comprising:
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a capacitive coupler configured to couple data to and from the power line; a first modem configured to communicate data over the power line via said coupler; a second modem configured to communicate with one or more utility devices configured to communicate measured utility data of one or more associated customer premises; a routing device communicatively coupled to said first modem and said second modem; and wherein said coupler, said first modem, and said second modem are configured to provide at least part of a data path between the power line and one or more utility devices associated with one or more customer premises to thereby bypass the distribution transformer. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
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46. A method of communicating over a power line having a voltage greater than one thousand volts, the power line forming part of a power distribution system that supplies power to a plurality of customer premises and wherein each of the plurality customer premises receives power via a low voltage power line that is electrically connected to a distribution transformer, the method comprising:
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capacitively receiving first data in a first data signal from the power line, wherein the first data signal comprises a wideband signal; demodulating the first data signal to provide a first data packet; matching the first data packet with a destination; modulating one or more carriers with the first data to provide a second data signal; transmitting the second data signal to a first remote utility device disposed at a customer premises; receiving second data from a remote utility device; modulating one or more carriers with the second data to form a third data signal; and capacitively coupling the third data signal to the power line. - View Dependent Claims (47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63)
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Specification