Powerline communicated load control

• US 8,716,882 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2012
• Issued: 05/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Powerline Load Control Llc
• Original Assignee: Powerline Load Control Llc
• Inventors: Pettler, Peter R., Fox, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Amrany, Adi
• Application Number:
  US13/559,241
• Publication Number:
  US 20130034172A1
• Time in Patent Office: 649 Days
• Field of Search: 307/2, 307/3
• US Class Current: 307/2
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5458 Monitor sensor; Alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/54 Systems for transmission via power distribution lines
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/542 the information being in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/02 Amplitude-modulated carrier systems, e.g. using on-off keying; Single sideband or vestigial sideband modulation H04L27/32 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/04 Modulator circuits; Transmitter circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/06 Demodulator circuits; Receiver circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/10 Controlling the intensity of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/185 via power line carrier transmission

Abstract

A system for transmitting communication signals, the system comprising an injector circuit connected to a powered circuit conductor and configured to modulate a power signal with a direct current voltage offset, the direct current voltage offset being within a range that causes approximately 1 percent or less total harmonic distortion of the power signal; and a decoder connected to the powered circuit conductor and a load, the decoder configured to demodulate the direct current voltage offset to control the load. A method for transmitting communication signals, the method comprising modulating a power signal on a powered circuit conductor with a direct current voltage offset, the direct current voltage offset being within a range that causes approximately 1 percent or less total harmonic distortion of the power signal; and demodulating the direct current voltage offset to control a load.

Claims

1. A system for transmitting communication signals, the system comprising:

an injector circuit connected to a powered circuit conductor and configured to modulate an AC power signal with a time sequence of instantaneous voltage offsets over at least a portion of a voltage phase to produce one or more bits to be transmitted on the powered circuit conductor,

wherein the one or more bits form a command, and

wherein the injector circuit includes one or more asymmetrical networks that modulate the power signal with the instantaneous voltage offset, the instantaneous voltage offset having a first voltage offset for modulating a first polarity of the power signal and a second voltage offset for modulating a second polarity of the power signal, the first voltage offset being different than the second voltage offset; and

a decoder connected to the powered circuit conductor and a load, the decoder configured to demodulate the instantaneous voltage offsets to extract the command to control the load based on a selected control scheme.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the instantaneous voltage offsets are within the range of approximately 1 to 5 volts.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a system control module in communication with the injector circuit, the system control module configured to connect or disconnect the injector circuit from the powered circuit conductor according to a modulation scheme.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the system control module is wirelessly connected to the injector circuit.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the modulation scheme is a two-state scheme.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the modulation scheme is a multi-level scheme.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the asymmetrical network comprises a transistor configured to produce the first voltage offset in the first polarity;

and

a diode configured to produce the second voltage offset in the second polarity.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the asymmetrical network comprises a rectifier circuit configured to produce the first voltage offset in the first polarity;

and

a diode configured to produce the second voltage offset in the second polarity.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising an isolation interface configured to provide galvanic isolation between the powered circuit conductor and the decoder.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the decoder includes a microprocessor configured to demodulate the instantaneous voltage offsets to control the load.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the microprocessor is configured to demodulate the instantaneous voltage offsets on the powered circuit conductor by calculating an average instantaneous voltage offset of a polarity of the power signal, measuring an instantaneous voltage offset of a polarity of the power signal, comparing the instantaneous voltage offset of a polarity of the power signal to the average instantaneous voltage offset of a polarity of the power signal, and converting the instantaneous voltage offset of a polarity of the power signal to a control signal for controlling the load when the instantaneous voltage offsets of a polarity of the power signal are greater than the average instantaneous voltage offset of a polarity of the power signal.

12. A system for transmitting communication signals, the system comprising:

an injector circuit connected to a powered circuit conductor and configured to modulate an AC power signal with a time sequence of instantaneous voltage offsets over at least a portion of a voltage phase to produce one or more bits to be transmitted on the powered circuit conductor,

wherein the one or more bits form a command, and

wherein the injector circuit includes a first asymmetrical network and a second asymmetrical network, the first asymmetrical network configured to modulate the power signal with the instantaneous voltage offset to produce a first average voltage offset in a first polarity of the power signal, and the second asymmetrical network configured to modulate the power signal with the instantaneous voltage offset to produce a second average voltage offset in a second polarity of the power signal, the first average voltage offset being opposite to the second average voltage offset; and

a decoder connected to the powered circuit conductor and a load, the decoder configured to demodulate the instantaneous voltage offsets to extract the command to control the load based on a selected control scheme.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the instantaneous voltage offsets are within the range of approximately 1 to 5 volts.

14. The system of claim 12, further comprising a system control module in communication with the injector circuit, the system control module configured to connect or disconnect the injector circuit from the powered circuit conductor according to a modulation scheme.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the system control module is wirelessly connected to the injector circuit.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the modulation scheme is a two-state scheme.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the modulation scheme is a multi-level scheme.

18. The system of claim 12, further comprising an isolation interface configured to provide galvanic isolation between the powered circuit conductor and the decoder.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the decoder includes a microprocessor configured to demodulate the instantaneous voltage offsets to control the load.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the microprocessor is configured to demodulate the instantaneous voltage offsets on the powered circuit conductor by calculating an average instantaneous voltage offset of a polarity of the power signal, measuring an instantaneous voltage offset of a polarity of the power signal, comparing the instantaneous voltage offset of a polarity of the power signal to the average instantaneous voltage offset of a polarity of the power signal, and converting the instantaneous voltage offset of a polarity of the power signal to a control signal for controlling the load when the instantaneous voltage offsets of a polarity of the power signal are greater than the average instantaneous voltage offset of a polarity of the power signal.

21. A method for transmitting communication signals, the method comprising:

modulating a power signal on a powered circuit conductor with a time sequence of instantaneous voltage offsets over at least a portion of a voltage phase, to produce one or more bits to be transmitted on the powered circuit conductor, the instantaneous voltage offset having a first voltage offset for modulating a first polarity of the power signal and a second voltage offset for modulating a second polarity of the power signal, the first voltage offset being different than the second voltage offset,

wherein the one or more bits form a command; and

demodulating the instantaneous voltage offsets to extract the command to control a load.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the instantaneous voltage offsets are within the range of approximately 1 to 5 volts.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising modulating the power signal in a pulse pattern.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising controlling modulation of the power signal with a control module, according to a modulation scheme.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the modulation scheme is a two-state scheme.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the modulation scheme is a multi-level scheme.

27. The method of claim 21, further comprising providing galvanic isolation from the powered circuit conductor.

28. The method of claim 21, wherein demodulating the instantaneous voltage offsets to control the load comprises:

calculating an average instantaneous voltage offset of a polarity of the power signal;

measuring an instantaneous voltage offset of a polarity of the power signal;

comparing the instantaneous voltage offset of a polarity of the power signal to the average instantaneous voltage offset of a polarity of the power signal; and

converting the instantaneous voltage offsets of a polarity of the power signal to a control signal for controlling the load when the instantaneous voltage offset of a polarity of the power signal is greater than the average instantaneous voltage offset of a polarity of the power signal.