APPARATUS, SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR POWER LINE CARRIER DATA COMMUNICATION TO DC POWERED ELECTRONIC DEVICE

• US 20120249309A1
• Filed: 03/29/2011
• Published: 10/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Eldon Technology Limited (Dish Network Corporation)
• Inventors: Burton, David Robert, Ward, Martyn
• Granted Patent: US 8,638,199 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/13.23
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 19/00 Electric signal transmission systems G08C17/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/0001 using modification of a parameter of the network power signal
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00017 using optical fiber
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/547 via DC power distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/54 Systems for transmission via power distribution lines
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/52 Outage or fault management, e.g. fault detection or location
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/121 using the power network as support for the transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/124 using wired telecommunication networks or data transmission busses

Abstract

Systems and methods are operable to communicate information to a direct current (DC) powered electronic device. An exemplary embodiment receives alternating current (AC) power with an AC information signal modulated thereon, converts the received AC power to DC power, demodulates the received AC information signal to determine information, modulates the information onto the transmitted DC power as a DC information signal, transmits the DC power with the DC information signal over a DC connector to the DC powered electronic device, detects the DC information signal on the modulated DC power at the DC powered electronic device, demodulates the DC information signal from the received DC power, and determines the information at the DC powered electronic device based upon the demodulated DC information.

Claims

1. A method for communicating information to a direct current (DC) powered electronic device, the method comprising:

receiving alternating current (AC) power with an AC information signal modulated thereon;

converting the received AC power to DC power;

demodulating the received AC information signal to determine information;

modulating the information onto the transmitted DC power as a DC information signal;

transmitting the DC power with the DC information signal over a DC connector to the DC powered electronic device;

detecting the DC information signal on the modulated DC power at the DC powered electronic device;

demodulating the DC information signal from the received DC power; and

determining the information at the DC powered electronic device based upon the demodulated DC information.

2. The method of claim 1, detecting the DC information signal on the modulated DC power comprises:

detecting the DC information signal on the modulated DC power at a DC power bus of the DC powered electronic device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting the information onto a data bus, wherein at least one component of the DC powered electronic device receives the transmitted information.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

operating at least one component of the DC powered electronic device in accordance with the determined information.

5. The method of claim 1, modulating the DC information onto the transmitted DC power as the DC information signal comprises:

outputting the DC power at a first voltage, wherein the first voltage corresponds to a first bit; and

outputting the DC power at a second voltage, wherein the second voltage corresponds to a second bit,

wherein the information signal corresponds to a series of the first voltage and the second voltage.

6. The method of claim 1, modulating the DC information onto the transmitted DC power as the DC information signal comprises:

modulating an AC signal onto the DC power onto the transmitted DC power,

wherein a first frequency shift in the AC signal corresponds to a first bit,

wherein a second frequency shift in the AC signal corresponds to a second bit, and

wherein the information corresponds to a series of the first frequency shift and the second frequency shift.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the DC information signal is a first DC information signal having first information modulated thereon, and further comprising:

modulating second information onto the received DC power as a second DC information signal;

receiving the DC power with the second DC information signal modulated thereon;

demodulating the second DC information signal to determine the second information; and

modulating the information onto the AC power as a second AC information signal modulated thereon.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the second DC information signal is detectable at a power receptacle of a customer premises AC power wiring network, and further comprising:

detecting the second DC information signal at the receptacle.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein detecting the second DC information signal at the receptacle comprises:

detecting the second DC information signal at a host device that originated the first DC information signal.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the DC powered electronic device is a first DC powered electronic device, and wherein detecting the second DC information signal at the receptacle comprises:

detecting the second DC information signal at a second DC powered electronic device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the second DC information signal is detectable at a power receptacle of a customer premises AC power wiring network, and further comprising:

detecting the second DC information signal at the receptacle.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an identifier in the demodulated information; and

comparing the identifier with a device identifier associated with the DC powered electronic device,

wherein at least one of the demodulating of the received AC information signal and the modulating of the information onto the transmitted DC power as a DC information signal is performed when the identifier corresponds to the device identifier associated with the DC powered electronic device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the information at the DC powered electronic device based upon the demodulated DC information further comprises:

determining an identifier in the demodulated information;

comparing the identifier with a device identifier associated with the DC powered electronic device; and

operating at least one component of the DC powered electronic device in accordance with the determined information when the identifier corresponds to the device identifier associated with the DC powered electronic device.

14. A direct current (DC) powered electronic system configured to receive alternating current (AC) power from an AC power wiring network, comprising:

a DC connector configured to transmit DC power;

a receptacle connector electrically coupled to the DC connector, and configured to electrically couple to a receptacle of the AC power wiring network, wherein the AC power includes an AC information signal modulated thereon, the receptacle connector comprising;

an AC/DC power converter configured to receive the AC power from the AC power wiring network, configured to convert the AC power into the DC power, and configured to transmit the DC power onto the DC connector;

an AC modulator/demodulator configured to detect the AC information signal, and configured to demodulate the AC information signal to determine information;

a DC modulator/demodulator coupled to the AC modulator/demodulator, configured to modulate the information into a DC information signal onto the DC power transmitted from the AC/DC power converter, and

a DC powered electronic device coupled to the DC connector, wherein the received DC power received from the receptacle connector over the DC connector powers at least first one component of the DC powered electronic device, and wherein the information modulated into the DC information signal is demodulated into the information, and wherein the information is received by at least one second component of the DC powered electronic device.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the receptacle connector further comprises:

a central processor unit (CPU) configured to determine an identifier in the demodulated information, wherein the CPU is configured to operate at least one of the AC modulator/demodulator and the DC modulator/demodulator so that the information is modulated into the DC information signal when the identifier corresponds to a device identifier associated with the DC powered electronic device.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the DC modulator/demodulator of the receptacle connector is a first DC modulator/demodulator, and wherein the DC powered electronic device further comprises:

a second DC modulator/demodulator configured to detect the DC information signal modulated onto the DC power received from the receptacle connector over the DC connector, and configured to demodulate the information from the DC information signal.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the DC powered electronic device further comprises:

a data bus communicatively coupled to the second DC modulator/demodulator and the second component,

wherein the data bus is configured to receive the information from the second DC modulator/demodulator, and

wherein the information is received by the at least one second component over the data bus.

18. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

a DC power bus coupled to the DC connector, and configured to receive the DC power,

wherein the DC power is received by the at least one first component from the DC power bus.

19. A direct current (DC) powered electronic device configured to operate on received direct current (DC) power based upon alternating current (AC) power received from an AC power wiring network, comprising:

a DC power bus configured to electrically couple to a DC connector and configured to receive DC power over the DC connector, wherein the DC connector is electrically coupled to a receptacle connector, and wherein the receptacle connector is configured to couple to a receptacle of the AC power wiring network;

a DC modulator/demodulator coupled to at least one of a DC connector and the AC modulator/demodulator, wherein the DC modulator/demodulator is configured to demodulate information from a DC information signal modulated onto the DC power;

a data bus communicatively coupled to the DC modulator/demodulator and configured to receive the information demodulated from the DC information signal; and

at least one component communicatively coupled to the data bus, wherein the information is configured to operate the at least one component, wherein the information is received by the at least one component from the data bus, and wherein DC power to operate the at least one component is received from the DC power bus.

20. The DC powered electronic device of claim 19, further comprising:

a processor system configured to determine an identifier included in the information demodulated from the DC information signal, configured to compare the identifier with a device identifier associated with the DC powered electronic device, and configured to operate the at least one component when the identifier corresponds to the device identifier.