Patent · US Active

Power-line communication systems AMD methods having location-extendable collector for end-point data

US10270491B2 · kind B2 · utility

0Cited by
47References
10Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 31, 2017
Grant dateApr 23, 2019
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 31, 2037

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04L67/12
  • WIPO fieldTelecommunications
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Power-line communication (PLC) systems collect information over power lines from end-point devices respectively associated with customer sites, for assessment by a central processing circuit operated on behalf of a power utility company. In the PLC system, each of a number of PLC data-collector circuits includes a plurality of data interface units and PLC end-point device data computation circuit. Typically, one data interface circuit is located proximate, and another is distal, the location of the computation circuit. Each data interface unit includes a transformer circuit for selectively receiving data from a subset of the end-point devices via the power lines, a transformer-coupling circuit for selectively sending data to the subset of the end-point devices via the power lines, and a high-throughput data driver circuit for outputting data in accordance with a data-transfer protocol which is common to the other high throughput driver circuits which operate in accordance with the data-transfer protocol.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.