Methods and systems for powerline and radio frequency communications

• US 9,754,483 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2015
• Issued: 09/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smartlabs
• Original Assignee: Smartlabs
• Inventors: Cregg, Daniel Brian, Escobosa, Marcus Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Backer, Firmin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Aziz, Adnan
• Application Number:
  US14/975,593
• Publication Number:
  US 20160104375A1
• Time in Patent Office: 627 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 19/12 in which the signal transmitted is frequency or phase of ac
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5416 by adding signals to the wave form of the power source
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/542 using zero crossing information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2601 Multicarrier modulation systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2605 Symbol extensions, e.g. Zero Tail, Unique Word [UW]

Abstract

Disconnected from the powerline, a battery-powered receiver is configured to conserve power. The receiver communicates information between a local controller and a communication network that uses the powerline and a radio frequency (RF) band to propagate messages. An antenna wirelessly detects the presence of the powerline carrier signal that radiates into free space, which indicates a first message encoded onto the powerline. A computer processor wakes up from an inactive state based on the presence of the carrier signal and receives a second message via a second RF signal having a different frequency than the powerline carrier signal, and determines whether the device address in the second message is the assigned address of the receiver. If the message is not addressed to the receiver, the receiver returns to an inactive state.

Claims

1. A battery-powered apparatus operating remotely from a powerline, the apparatus comprising:

a first antenna configured to detect an electromagnetic field generated by a presence of a first radio frequency (RF) signal that is added to a powerline waveform, the first RF signal having a first RF frequency, the presence of the first RF signal indicating that a first message is encoded using the first RF frequency onto a powerline, wherein the first antenna is electrically disconnected from the powerline;

memory storing an assigned address of the apparatus, wherein the memory is electrically disconnected from the powerline;

a second antenna configured to detect a second RF signal having a second RF frequency different than the first RF frequency;

a computer processor in communication with the memory and configured to wake up from an inactive state based on the detection of the electromagnetic field generated by the presence of the first RF signal on the powerline in order to receive with the second antenna a second message comprising a device address encoded onto the second RF signal, the computer processor further configured to return to the inactive state to conserve battery power when the device address of the second message is not the assigned address of the apparatus, wherein the computer processor is electrically disconnected from the powerline; and

a power supply comprising a battery and configured to supply power to the memory and the computer processor.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a zero-crossing detector configured to detect zero-crossings of the powerline.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 further comprising a gating circuit configured to wake up the computer processor from the inactive state based on the detected zero-crossings of the powerline and the detection of the electromagnetic field generated by the presence of the first RF signal on the powerline.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a powerline-message detector in communication with the first antenna and the computer processor and configured to generate an interrupt based on the presence of the first RF signal on the powerline.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising controller interface circuitry configured to communicate with a local controller using logic level serial communications.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the controller interface circuitry is configured to interrupt the computer processor when there is data from the local controller.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the second message further comprises a door lock command.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the computer processor is further configured to instruct a door lock controller to change a state of a door lock based at least in part on the door lock command, when the device address is the assigned address of the apparatus.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the second message further comprises a window blind command.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the computer processor is further configured to instruct a window blind controller to change a state of a window blind based at least in part on the window blind command, when the device address is the assigned address of the apparatus.

11. A method to conserve power, the method comprising:

detecting, with a first antenna of an apparatus, an electromagnetic field generated by a presence of a first radio frequency (RF) signal that is added to a powerline waveform, the first RF signal having a first RF frequency, the presence of the first RF signal indicating that a first message is encoded using the first RF frequency onto a powerline, wherein the first antenna is electrically disconnected from the powerline;

waking up a computer processor from an inactive state based on the detection of the electromagnetic field generated by the presence of the first RF signal on the powerline in order to receive with a second antenna a second message having a second RF frequency different than the first RF frequency and comprising a device address encoded onto the second RF signal, wherein the computer processor is electrically disconnected from the powerline;

receiving with the second antenna the second RF signal;

determining whether the device address of the second message is an assigned address of the apparatus;

returning the computer processor to the inactive state to save power when the device address of the second message is not the assigned address of the apparatus; and

supplying operating power to the computer processor from a battery-operated power supply and not supplying the operating power from the powerline.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising detecting zero-crossings of the powerline.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising waking up the computer processor from the inactive state based on the detected zero-crossings of the powerline and the detection of the electromagnetic field generated by the presence of the first RF signal on the powerline.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising generating an interrupt to the computer processor based on the presence of the first RF signal on the powerline.

15. The method of claim 11 further comprising communicating with a local controller using logic level serial communications.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising interrupting the computer processor when there is data from the local controller.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein the second message further comprises a door lock command.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising instructing a door lock controller to change a state of a door lock based at least in part on the door lock command, when the device address is the assigned address of the apparatus.

19. The method of claim 11 wherein the second message further comprises a window blind command.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising instructing a window blind controller to change a state of a window blind based at least in part on the window blind command, when the device address is the assigned address of the apparatus.