Electricity: electrical systems and devices – Safety and protection of systems and devices – High voltage dissipation
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-21
2001-06-26
Jackson, Stephen W. (Department: 2836)
Electricity: electrical systems and devices
Safety and protection of systems and devices
High voltage dissipation
C361S113000, C361S058000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06252755
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to network interfacing, and more particularly to methods and systems for transmission of high-speed network signals over home power lines.
2. Description of the Related Art
Local area networks use a network cable or other media to link stations on the network. Each local area network architecture uses a media access control (MAC) enabling network interface cards at each station to share access to the media. Conventional local area network architectures use media access controllers operating according to half-duplex or full-duplex Ethernet (ANSI/IEEE Standard 802.3) protocol using a prescribed network medium, such as 10 BASE-T.
Efforts are underway to develop an architecture that enables computers to be linked together using conventional twisted pair telephone lines instead of established local area network media such as 10 BASE-T. For example, efforts are underway by the Home Phoneline Networking Alliance (HomePNA) to adopt a standard for implementing a home network using telephone lines. Situations may arise, however, where use of a telephone line as a network medium may not be desirable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
There is a need for an arrangement that provides an alternative methodology for implementing a home computer network without the necessity of conventional network media such as 10 BASE-T or telephone line media. More specifically, there is a need for an arrangement that enables a home network to be implemented using existing customer premises powerlines.
There is also need for an arrangement that enables implementation of a home network using customer-premises power lines that protects any problems associated with power lines, including protection against high voltage conditions.
There is also need for an arrangement that enables implementation of a home network using customer-premises power, lines where signal conditioning is optimized for home network signals operating at data rates of a least one megabit per second (1 Mb/s).
These and other needs are obtained by the present invention, where a filter is configured for passing home network signals to a host computer from a customer-premises power line.
According to one aspect of the invention, a filter is provided for passing home network signals to a host computer from a customer-premises power line having a power supply line and a neutral line and configured for supplying power signals. The filter includes first and second capacitors, each having an input terminal end and an output terminal end, the first and second capacitors configured for filtering the power signals received at the input terminal ends and passing to the output terminal ends the home network signals supplied by the power supply line and the neutral line respectively. The filter also includes an inductor configured for short-circuiting residual power signals at the output terminal ends and having passed the capacitors, and a protection circuit configured for limiting energy in the power signals at the input terminal ends to a prescribed threshold limit. Use of the protection circuit for limiting energy in the power signals at the input terminal ends ensures that receiver circuitry within the home network transceiver is protected from transient voltage spikes that may occur on the power line. Moreover, the inductor ensures that any residual power signals having passed the first and second capacitors are short circuited, while maintaining the home network signal. Hence, the inductor enables a near zero volt condition to be maintained at the output of the filter at the power signal frequencies, enabling a network interface to recover the home network signals from the filter.
Another aspect of the present invention provides a method of filtering home network signals from a customer-premises power line having a power supply line and a neutral line and configured for supplying power signals. The method includes passing the signals supplied by the customer-premises power line through a protection circuit configured for limiting energy to a prescribed limit, filtering the power signal having passed through the protection circuit through first and second series capacitors, configured for filtering the power signals on the power supply line and the neutral line, respectively, and passing the home network signal, and short-circuiting any residual power signals having passed through the first and second series capacitors and passing the home network signals. The short-circuiting of residual power signals ensures that all high-voltage power signals are eliminated from the home network signals, enabling the network interface device to recover the home network signals safely.
Additional advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned by practice of the invention. The advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4597082 (1986-06-01), Hill et al.
patent: 4847782 (1989-07-01), Brown, Jr. et al.
patent: 176440 (1986-04-01), None
patent: WO 96/07245 (1996-03-01), None
patent: WO 98/33258 (1998-07-01), None
Advanced Micro Devices , Inc.
Jackson Stephen W.
Turkevich Leon R.
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