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US6430210B1 Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Receiver for detecting an amplitude modulated signal insinuated on an GHM signal

Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG
•
Filing: 1999-04-05
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Granted: 2002-08-06
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Expires: 2019-04-05
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Abstract

Abstract A receiver for enabling one-way communications in a GHM network which does not interfere with or reduce the capability of the GHM network. The receiver detects a small modulation factor signal present on the GHM signal normally transmitted by the GHM transmitter. If the frequency of the modulated signal corresponds to a pre-defined frequency, then the receiver generates a command signal to, for example, a relay, annunciator, or other external device. More particularly, and in one embodiment, the receiver includes a filter which partially isolates the GHM energy from the lower 60 Hz harmonics. The receiver also includes a envelope detector coupled to filter. The envelope detector is coupled to a frequency detector. The frequency detector is coupled to a command decoder. The command decoder determines whether a plurality of AM modulation frequencies are present on the received signal. If the AM modulation signal is a specified frequency the decoder generates a signal which, in turn, causes signal generator to generate a command signal for transmission to an external device.

Inventors

  • 👤 Donald Thomas McGrath
  • 👤 II Kenneth Brakeley Welles
  • 👤 John Erik Hershey

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-02 21:19
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04L; H04L27/00; H04L27/26; H04L27/28

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim 133 words
A GHM based power line receiver coupled to a power line, the power line also adapted to be coupled to a GHM transmitter, which transmitter is adapted to generate a GHM signal having an amplitude modulated signal insinuated thereon, said GHM receiver comprising: a filter coupled to the power line for detecting the amplitude modulated signal insinuated on the GHM signal; an envelope detector coupled to said filter for detecting the envelope of the amplitude modulated signal passed by said filter; a frequency detector coupled to said envelope detector for detecting the frequency of the envelope of the amplitude modulated signal generated by said envelope detector; and a decoder coupled to said frequency detector for generating a respective drive signal corresponding with a respective frequency of the envelope of the amplitude modulated signal.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 133 words
A GHM based power line receiver coupled to a power line, the power line also adapted to be coupled to a GHM transmitter, which transmitter is adapted to generate a GHM signal having an amplitude modulated signal insinuated thereon, said GHM receiver comprising: a filter coupled to the power line for detecting the amplitude modulated signal insinuated on the GHM signal; an envelope detector coupled to said filter for detecting the envelope of the amplitude modulated signal passed by said filter; a frequency detector coupled to said envelope detector for detecting the frequency of the envelope of the amplitude modulated signal generated by said envelope detector; and a decoder coupled to said frequency detector for generating a respective drive signal corresponding with a respective frequency of the envelope of the amplitude modulated signal.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 15 words
A receiver in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said filter comprises a bandpass filter.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 29 words
A receiver in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said filter comprises a comb filter having narrow pass band windows centered on un-modulated frequency components of the GHM signal.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 16 words
A receiver in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said envelope detector comprises a square-wave detector.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 25 words
A receiver in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the amplitude modulated frequency is in a range from about 0.25 Hertz to about 3.0 Hertz.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 36 words
A receiver in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said frequency detector includes a detector selected from the group including at least one tuned filter, a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) analyzer, or a digital signal processor.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 35 words
A receiver in accordance with claim 1 further comprising a signal generator coupled to said decoder, wherein said signal generator is configured to generate a respective command signal in correspondence with said respective drive signal.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 112 words
A GHM based power line receiver coupled to a power line, the power line also adapted to be coupled to a GHM transmitter, which transmitter is adapted to generate a GHM signal having an amplitude modulated signal insinuated thereon, said GHM receiver comprising: means for filtering the power line so as to detect the amplitude modulated signal insinuated on the GHM signal; means for detecting the envelope of the amplitude modulated signal insinuated on the GHM signal; means for detecting the frequency of the envelope of the amplitude modulated signal insinuated on the GHM signal; and means for generating a respective drive signal in correspondence with a respective amplitude modulated envelope frequency.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 112 words
A GHM based power line receiver coupled to a power line, the power line also adapted to be coupled to a GHM transmitter, which transmitter is adapted to generate a GHM signal having an amplitude modulated signal insinuated thereon, said GHM receiver comprising: means for filtering the power line so as to detect the amplitude modulated signal insinuated on the GHM signal; means for detecting the envelope of the amplitude modulated signal insinuated on the GHM signal; means for detecting the frequency of the envelope of the amplitude modulated signal insinuated on the GHM signal; and means for generating a respective drive signal in correspondence with a respective amplitude modulated envelope frequency.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim 31 words
The GHM receiver as recited in claim 8 , further comprising means for generating a respective command signal for driving a respective external device, in correspondence with said respective drive signal.
Claim 12
Independent Claim 79 words
A method of detecting a amplitude modulated signal insinuated on a GHM signal superimposed on a power line signal, said method comprising the following steps: filtering the power line signal so as to detect the amplitude modulated signal insinuated on the GHM signal; detecting the envelope of the amplitude modulated signal; detecting the frequency of the envelope of the amplitude modulated signal; and generating a respective drive signal corresponding with a respective envelope frequency of the amplitude modulated signal.
Claim 13
Independent Claim 79 words
A method of detecting a amplitude modulated signal insinuated on a GHM signal superimposed on a power line signal, said method comprising the following steps: filtering the power line signal so as to detect the amplitude modulated signal insinuated on the GHM signal; detecting the envelope of the amplitude modulated signal; detecting the frequency of the envelope of the amplitude modulated signal; and generating a respective drive signal corresponding with a respective envelope frequency of the amplitude modulated signal.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim 36 words
The method as recited in claim 10 , further comprising the step of generating a respective command signal for driving a respective external device, wherein said respective drive signal corresponds with said respective frequency drive signal.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US4875221A Cited
US5519725A Cited
US5563906A Cited
US5568507A Cited
US5844949A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

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3.5 Years (Year 4) 2005-08-05 2006-02-04 2006-08-06 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
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