A communication system that involves superimposing data over DC power. The data takes the form of high bitrate digital signals, where the bitrate is much higher than 0 Hz (DC); this separation allows the AC signal to be easily separated from the DC power. The physical system consists of a two conductor cable, and integration is modular, in that multiple slaves can be connected and disconnected to a master through a routing bus also comprising two conductors. The master can communicate bi-directionally with the slave(s), and the data is encoded using DC-balanced encoding in an FPGA. The data is sent to and from a differential signaling transmitter/receiver pairs at each end of the cable. The system is may be used with position sensors, and provides the benefit of reducing cable costs and sensor size due to the decrease in number of conductors and elimination of power components in the sensor.

A mixer (power packet generation device) 2 includes switches 21A, 21B, packet generation means 28A, 28B, and a selector 29. The packet generator 28A (28B) causes the switch 21A (21B) to perform ON/OFF operation, based on a target voltage, and a voltage estimated as being applied to a load 4A (4B) in each of a state where a power packet is supplied to the load and a state where no power packet is supplied to the load. The selector 29 performs switching between a state where the packet generators 28A, 28B cause the switches 21A, 21B to perform ON/OFF operation, and a state where the packet generators 28A, 28B maintain the switches 21A, 21B in their OFF states.

Method and system for communicating between a first piece of equipment and a second piece of equipment connected to the first piece of equipment via a single-conductor transmission line, wherein data (DATA1, DATA2) are transmitted from the first piece of equipment to the second piece of equipment by pulse width modulation of a transmission signal emitted on the transmission line, and wherein data are transmitted from the second piece of equipment to the first piece of equipment by amplitude modulation of said transmission signal.

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a system for receiving first electromagnetic waves via a transmission medium without utilizing an electrical return path, and inducing second electromagnetic waves at an interface of the transmission medium without the electrical return path. In an embodiment, the first and second electromagnetic waves have a non-optical frequency range. Other embodiments are disclosed.

A method and a system for providing wireless communication facility with low interference between multiple wireless devices providing hotspot wireless coverage within a local area of an integrated enterprise or integrated home environment is disclosed. The sensor devices implementing hotspots are connected to a local area network (LAN) based on power line communication (PLC) and enabled with wireless power output control capability, allowing the coverage of area of each sensor device to be adjusted. The power output control is by a switch which allows the power output to be increased and decreased depending on coverage required and the output of the nearest hotspot. The power output level is indicated on the sensor by LEDs to enable resetting and adjustment. The use of power control and elimination of coverage overlap allow multiple hotspots to be used for achieving good connectivity while reducing interferences and noise within hotspots during connection and use.

A method and system for sending a repetitive permissive guard signal from an electrical power substation to a distributed generation site over existing medium voltage distribution lines to detect an islanding condition and apply transfer trip protection is disclosed. The permissive guard signal causes a receiver at the distributed generation site to control a recloser at the distributed generation site. Loss of the signal at the receiver device causes the tripping of the recloser at the distributed generation site in less than two seconds. The tripping of the recloser physically disconnects the distributed generation site from the electric power grid. The coupling to the medium voltage distribution lines can be implemented via a single phase-to-ground coupling or via a phase-to-phase differential coupling for multi-phase medium voltage distribution lines.

A system, comprising a metering system, and a load sensor which provides the metering system with a performance parameter corresponding to the operation of the electrical load. The metering system provides a data signal and transmits a data packet via a two-way energy management data packet network, wherein the data signal includes information regarding the performance parameter. The data signal can include environmental sense information corresponding to the environment proximate to the electrical load. The energy management data packet network carries a control signal back to t provide active control over the operation of the electrical load for energy management purposes.

A method for optimizing a home automation system is provided having a plurality of communicating devices capable of exchanging information therebetween via a local low bandwidth PLC (Power Line Communication) network. The method includes a phase in which the PLC transmission power is adjusted for each new device added to the network. The phase includes the following successive steps: installing (10) the new device configured to transmit at a predefined maximum power on said PLC network; cutting off (20) all ongoing communications on the PLC network except for the new device; testing communication for each pre-existing device on the PLC network with which the new device is to be paired and, if communication fails, ensuring an automatic incremental increase (30) of the PLC transmission power of the pre-existing device until a first PLC transmission power value is reached at which PLC communication can be initialized between the pre-existing device and the new device; and ensuring an automatic reduction (40) of the PLC transmission power of the new device while communication between each pre-existing device and the new device is active.

An energy management system includes an energy input sensor, an energy output sensor and a system controller. The energy input sensor is configured to generate at least one energy input signal indicating an energy flow to an energy storage medium of an energy storage device. The energy output sensor is configured to generate at least one energy output signal indicating an energy flow from the energy storage medium. The system controller is configured to estimate a charge level of the energy storage medium based on an initial charge level of the energy storage medium and a change in the charge level of the energy storage medium, which is based on the at least one energy input signal and the at least one energy output signal.

A system for wireless communications includes an antenna and a controller, the antenna configured to transmit electrical data signals, the electrical data signals including an encoded message signal. The encoded message signal including one or more encoded message words. The controller is configured to encode one or more message words, of a message signal, into one or more encoded message words of the encoded message signal, based on a coding format. The coding format correlates each of a plurality of correlated ratios with one of a plurality of format words. Each of the plurality of correlated ratios is a ratio of a duty cycle of a pulse to a respective period associated with one or both of the duty cycle and the pulse. Each of the one or more encoded message words are encoded as one of the plurality of correlated ratios.