Power line communication adapter capable of being freely assembled by accessories thereof

Abstract

The present invention is to provide a power line communication adapter capable of being freely assembled by accessories thereof, which includes an anti-noise device having a first male plug for receiving a power line communication signal from a power outlet, a first female socket for connecting the first male plug with an electrical equipment through a filter module, and a first adapting port connected to the first male plug, such that noise generated by the electrical equipment device can be filtered by the filter module without interfering the power line communication signal; and a power line communication device having a power line communication module along with a second adapting port connected thereto such that, when the first and second adapting ports are connected with each other, the power line communication device and the anti-noise device are combined into an anti-noise adapter for receiving and transmitting the power line communication signal.

Claims

1. A power line communication adapter capable of being freely assembled by accessories thereof, comprising: an anti-noise device including a first male plug, a filter module, a first female socket and a first adapting port, wherein the first male plug is plugged into a power outlet to receive electrical power along with a power line communication signal transmitted from the power outlet, the filter module is electrically connected to the first male plug, the first female socket is electrically connected to the filter module and is plugged with an electrical equipment, and the first adapting port is electrically connected to the first male plug, such that noise generated by the electrical equipment device can be filtered out by the filter module; a power line communication device including a second adapting port and a power line communication module, wherein a configuration or specification of the second adapting port matches the first adapting port and can be electrically connected to the first adapting port, the power line communication module is electrically connected to the second adapting port and includes at least one of an Ethernet port or a wireless transmission module, and when the second adapting port and the first adapting port are electrically connected with each other, the power line communication device and the anti-noise device are combined into one for receiving the power line communication signal from the anti-noise device and sending the power line communication signal out through the power line communication module; and an external plug having one end set with a third male plug and the other end set with a third adapting port, wherein the third male plug and the third adapting port are electrically connected with each other, and a configuration or specification of the third adapting port matches the second adapting port, such that the second adapting port and the third adapting port can be electrically connected with each other, and the third male plug can be plugged into another power outlet when the power line communication device is not electrically connected to the anti-noise device, and that the power line communication device and the external plug are combined into one and the received power line communication signal is sent out through the power line communication module, wherein the power line communication device is adapted to be respectively assembled to either the anti-noise device or the external plug by electrically connecting the second adapting port to either the first adapting port or the third adapting port.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a schematic of a conventional power line communication device;

(2) FIG. 2 is a structural schematic of a power line communication adapter of the present invention; and

(3) FIG. 3 is a schematic of a first preferred embodiment of a power line communication adapter of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

(4) The present invention provides a power line communication adapter capable of being freely assembled into different forms by accessories thereof. Please refer to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, which show the first preferred embodiment of the present invention. The power line communication adapter 2 includes an anti-noise device 21, a power line communication device 22 and an external plug 23. The exterior of the anti-noise device 21 is set with a first male plug 211, a first female socket 212 and a first adapting port 213. The interior of the anti-noise device 21 is set with a filter module 214. It should be noted that FIG. 2 is only a schematic of the present invention, and configurations and specifications of the first male plug 211 and the first adapting port 213 can be modified according to industry needs or electrical equipment standards of different countries and are not limited to the above description of the present invention.

(5) Refer to FIGS. 2 and 3, the power line communication adapter 2 is applied to a power system. The power system includes a plurality of power outlets 20, and can be electrically connected to a network device, such as routers and bridges etc. (not shown) for transmitting power line communication signals to those power outlets 20. A configuration and a specification of the first male plug 211 of the anti-noise device 21 matches the power outlet 20 and is able to be plugged into the power outlet 20 for receiving the power line communication signal transmitted from the power outlet 20. The first female socket 212 is electrically connected to the first male plug 211 through the filter module 214. When an electrical equipment, such as fans, charger or lamps, etc., is plugged into the first female socket 212, the electrical equipment can receive the electricity provided from the power outlet 20 through the anti-noise device 21. The noise generated when the electrical equipment is running will be filtered by the filter module 214 without interfering with the power line communication signal.

(6) The first adapting port 213 is electrically connected to the first male plug 211 to receive the power line communication signal. The first adapting port 213 can be a USB interface connector, but can also be the transmission interface designed by the industry. The power line communication device 22 is set with a second adapting port 221 outside and a power line communication module 222 inside. A configuration and a specification of the second adapting port 221 matches the first adapting port 213 and can be electrically connected to the first adapting port 213. When the anti-noise device 21 and the power line communication device 22 are combined into an anti-noise adapter (Passthrough PLC Adapter), the anti-noise device 21 can send the power line communication signal to the power line communication device 22, and the power line communication module 222 can then send out the power line communication signal.

(7) The external plug 23 includes a third adapting port 231 and a third male plug 232. A configuration and a specification of the third adapting port 231 matches the second adapting port 221 and is electrically connected to the third male plug 232. The third adapting port 231 and the second adapting port 221 can be electrically connected with each other and the third male plug 232 can be plugged into another power outlet 20 when the second adapting port 221 of the power line communication device 22 is not electrically connected to the first adapting port 213 of the anti-noise device 21. Thus, the anti-noise device 21 (Noise Filter) can be served as an independent component to filter out the noise of the electrical equipment. The power line communication device 22 and the external plug 23 can be combined into one as a PLC Adapter so that the power line communication device 22 can receive the power line communication signal through the external plug 23 and send out the power line communication signal accordingly.

(8) Because the anti-noise device 21, the power line communication device 22 and the external plug 23 can be combined with each other in differents way to form different functional products. Therefore, the industry only needs to design and process certification of the anti-noise device 21 and the power line communication device 22, respectively, and three different products, such as the anti-noise device 21, the anti-noise adapter (Passthrough PLC Adapter) and the PLC Adapter, can be freely assembled when producing the power line communication adapter 2. In this way, the cost of design and certification are reduced. However, traditional practices still dictate the need to design and process certification for the three products, respectively. Meanwhile, the flexibility and convenience for users in using the product are also enhanced.

(9) For example, the user can use the anti-noise device 21 independently in order to avoid noise interference of the electrical equipment to the power line communication signal, and the power line communication device 22 and the external plug 23 can be assembled into the PLC adapter to receive and transmit the power line communication signal from a location far from the electrical equipment. The user may also assemble the anti-noise device 21 and the power line communication device 22 into the anti-noise adapter (Passthrough PLC Adapter) so that the electrical equipment can still get electricity normally without letting the power line communication signal be affected by the noise interference of the electrical equipment while the power line communication signal is received unhindered.

(10) Refer to FIG. 3, in this embodiment, the power line communication device 22 further has at least one Ethernet port 223 or a wireless transmission module 224. Both the Ethernet port 223 and the wireless transmission module 224 are electrically connected to the power line communication module 222. Therefore, the power line communication signal can be transmitted to a computer device through the Ethernet port 223 or sent out through the wireless transmission module 224 after the power line communication module 222 receives the power line communication signal.

(11) While the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention set forth in the claims.