Power line communication system and method
US6727804B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 23, 2002 |
| Grant date | Apr 27, 2004 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 28, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04B2203/5491
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
The power line communication system includes a transmitter and a receiver, both providing a communication path between two communication control devices over a power line. The transmitter includes a voltage amplifier and a current amplifier. A switch between the transmit and receive modes is implemented within the voltage amplifier. The current amplifier also has a two-step output impedance. When the transmitter is active, the current amplifier shows a low impedance on the line to overcome other loads. If, however, the communication medium shows a high level of noise, the output impedance of the current amplifier decreases even further and creates a path to ground. The receiver advantageously uses a logarithmic amplifier for signal range compression. This type of amplifier preserves the shape of the signal that is important when the modulation scheme uses the zero crossings to store information. At the receiver, the communications control device mixes a reference signal with signals received on the power line. The mixed signal is then amplified before passing to the receiver output. At the communication control device, the reference signal is demodulated so as to detect whether wha…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.