JP2005065006A - Stabilizing device for power line communication, and electronic apparatus and communication method using same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a stabilizing device for power line communication capable of realizing highly reliable high throughput power line communication. <P>SOLUTION: A stabilizing device 100 for power line communication comprises a plug 11, a lowpass filter 12 and a receptacle part 13 consisting of receptacles 13a, 13b and 13c. When a power line is used to perform communication, the plug 11 of the stabilizing device 100 for power line communication is connected to a wall surface receptacle arranged on the power line, and a plurality of communication apparatuses are connected to the receptacle part 13 arranged at the back of the lowpass filter 12 to thereby perform communication among the plurality of communication apparatuses. Since this can eliminate transmission loss caused by wiring path length, mismatching reflection caused by wiring branching, etc., and the effect of a multipath, etc., and can also eliminate noise jamming and impedance disturbance from non-communication apparatuses, a highly reliable high throughput power line communication can be realized. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a stabilization device for power line communication, an electronic device using the same, and a communication method. Specifically, when performing communication using a power line, one plug for connecting to a power outlet device arranged on the power line, a power outlet unit composed of a plurality of power outlets connected in parallel, and a plug and a power outlet unit A power line communication stabilization device composed of a frequency selection means arranged between the plug and the power line, and the communication device is connected to an outlet connected in parallel after the frequency selection means. By performing communication, it is possible to eliminate the effects of transmission loss due to wiring path length, mismatched reflection due to wiring branching, etc., multipath, etc., and noise interference and impedance disturbance from non-communication equipment can be eliminated. Therefore, the present invention relates to a power line communication stabilization device and the like that can realize highly reliable high-throughput (Throughput) power line communication. .

  A communication system using a power line (PLC: Power Line Carrier) is a wired communication system that transmits a high-frequency signal having a minute voltage amplitude to the same power line in a form superimposed on a commercial AC voltage. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a commercial AC voltage and a high-frequency signal having a minute voltage amplitude are superimposed. As shown in FIG. 5, transmission is performed by superimposing a signal voltage of several tens of mV to several 100 mV on a power supply voltage signal of AC 100V. In power line communication, for example, a carrier wave of 10 kHz to 500 kHz is superimposed on a commercial power supply frequency (50 Hz or 60 Hz) and data is transmitted by the carrier wave, and there is an advantage that an existing power line can be used as it is as a transmission line. is there.

  There are two methods of using power line communication. One is a method of constructing a LAN (Local Area Network) using a power line in a home. Since all home appliances are connected to power lines via electrical outlets, it is easy to combine home appliance networking and power line networks. The other is to use a power line as an access line to the Internet or the like.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a conventional power line communication system. The power line communication system 300 constructs a LAN (Local Area Network) using a power line in the above-described home.

  As illustrated in FIG. 6, the power line communication system 300 includes a power line 20 as a communication path, a communication device A, and a communication device B. The communication devices A and B are connected to wall outlets 21a and 21b, for example. In a communication system using the power line 20, a non-communication device (electronic device) is generally connected to the power line. For example, non-communication devices C and D are also connected to the wall outlets 21c and 21d.

  Since such a power line communication system 300 is wired communication, it is generally apt to be thought that it is a highly reliable communication system compared to wireless communication. However, the power line 20 which is not originally designed for communication use has a large signal transmission loss between different systems, for example, a transmission loss or high-frequency reflection caused by a branch of wiring or the connected electronic devices C and D. Alternatively, there are frequent cases in which “communication is impossible” between communication devices as a result of device noise and the like as a main obstruction factor.

  In general, communication such as Ethernet (registered trademark), wireless LAN, and power line communication system is called “best effort type”, and operates with a basic mechanism that “shares and communicates” a finite communication bandwidth among a plurality of communication terminals. ing. That is, when the communication bandwidth is small or when the number of communication terminals is large, the effective speed is greatly reduced. In the opposite case, an effective speed sufficient to exchange a high-quality AV (Audio Video) stream is obtained. However, even if the theoretical maximum link speed (the physical maximum speed depending on the transmission medium and the communication method such as modulation / demodulation and including overhead) is sufficient for high-definition AV transmission, a wireless LAN or power line communication system In the case of communication using a physically unstable and lossy transmission medium such as a space or power line, the propagation loss (conduction loss) or mismatch inherent to the transmission medium or changing every moment Reflection, multipath, etc. significantly reduce the throughput (significant effective communication speed minus overhead), and in many cases a small value that is far from the theoretical maximum link speed (several minutes 1 to several tenths).

  In the past, these were unavoidably obvious phenomena that were improved by using techniques such as modulation / demodulation and error correction, and the best effort communication was literally assumed. Also in the power line communication system, for example, the most “probable case” such as AV viewing in one room is not specifically considered, so that the power plug of each communication device for power line communication is inserted. The “external situation” as seen from the beginning, that is, various disturbances such as impedance fluctuation, energy absorption, or device noise, was seen, resulting in obstructing communication between corresponding communication devices. That is, there is a problem that only an effective speed that is far from the maximum link speed can be obtained, and smooth AV stream reproduction cannot be expected.

  Conventionally, there is a method to prevent mutual signal transmission with neighboring houses using a large blocking filter installed in the distribution board in the house, but even in that case, the effective speed in the house is guaranteed. That was far away. In other words, the state of the communication path medium (electric power line) is inferior and changes every moment even within the range of at most one house.

  In recent years, in power line communication systems, there has been proposed a power line carrier communication network filter device that can eliminate the effects of impedance loss caused by electrical equipment connected to the power line and noise generated by the electrical equipment (see, for example, Patent Document 1). .

  In this case, the power line carrier communication network filter device includes an outlet for connecting a plug of a single power line carrier modem, an outlet for connecting plugs of a plurality of electrical devices, and a filter circuit provided therebetween. A communication device connected to one end of the filter circuit (plug side of the power line carrying modem) communicates with other communication devices connected on the power line via the power line. In addition, an electrical device is connected to the other end of the filter circuit. Thereby, the noise from an electric equipment is interrupted | blocked by the filter circuit, and it can eliminate an influence in a power line communication area | region.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-65583 (page 4, FIG. 5)

  As described above, the power line communication system is a power line carrier communication system (wired communication system) that is generally over-estimated to have extremely high communication reliability compared to a wireless communication system such as a wireless LAN. However, in the actual situation, it has been reported that there are potentially many problems that communication between terminals cannot be performed due to the influence of poor transmission path characteristics that change every moment. In particular, it has not been able to cope with a case where a high effective speed is required to transmit a high-quality AV stream in real time.

  Further, in the case of Patent Document 1, it is possible to eliminate the influence of impedance loss due to electrical equipment and noise generated by electrical equipment by a method of disposing non-communication electronic equipment on the terminal side of the power line through a filter circuit. Actually, it is difficult to arrange all electronic devices (for example, electronic devices within the range of a house) on the terminal side of the power line using the power line carrier communication network filter device, and there is a problem in terms of cost. . In addition, since communication hindrance such as transmission loss due to the wiring path length could not be solved, it is not possible to cope with a case where a high effective speed for transmitting a high-quality AV stream in real time is required.

  In other words, it is impossible to guarantee a high effective speed within the range of one house. Therefore, in the case where it is actually most possible, that is, in a limited application environment in which communication is performed only in a room, when performing high-speed power line communication such as real-time transmission of a high-definition AV stream signal, the same It is necessary to devise an apparatus that realizes stable high speed by greatly reducing communication hindering factors such as transmission loss, only for communication between a plurality of communication devices connected to an outlet.

  Therefore, the present invention eliminates transmission loss due to wiring path length, mismatched reflection due to wiring branching, etc., multipath, and the like, and also eliminates noise interference from non-communication equipment almost completely, thereby improving reliability. An object of the present invention is to provide a stabilization device for power line communication capable of realizing high-throughput power line communication, an electronic device using the same, and a communication method.

  A stabilization device for power line communication according to the present invention includes a plug for connecting to a power outlet device disposed on a power line, a plug unit including a plurality of plugs connected in parallel, and a plug and a plug unit. The outlet portion is electrically connected to the plug via the frequency selection means. For example, the outlet portion is for power and communication equipment.

An electronic device according to the present invention is a communication device that performs communication using a power line.
A power line communication stabilization device for connecting a plurality of communication devices, the power line communication stabilization device is connected to a power outlet device disposed on the power line, and a plurality of plugs connected in parallel And a frequency selecting means disposed between the plug and the outlet section, and the outlet section is electrically connected to the plug via the frequency selecting means.

  A communication method according to the present invention is a communication method in which communication is performed using a power line. In the communication method, a single plug for connecting to a power outlet device arranged on the power line and a plurality of outlets connected in parallel are provided. And a power line communication stabilization device composed of a frequency selection means arranged between the plug and the outlet unit, and the plug is connected to a power outlet device arranged on the power line, and a plurality of communication is performed in the outlet unit. A device is connected, and communication is performed between a plurality of communication devices via a power line.

  In this invention, a power line communication stabilization device used for power line communication, one plug for connecting to a power outlet device arranged on the power line, and an outlet unit comprising a plurality of outlets connected in parallel, When the power line is used for communication, the power line communication stabilization device plug is connected to the power line and placed after the frequency selection means. Multiple communication devices are connected to the outlet section. Communication is performed between the plurality of communication devices. The frequency selection means allows the power supply frequency to pass without hindrance and sufficiently prevents signals in the communication band, for example, noise from other electronic devices.

  As a result, the transmission loss due to the wiring path length is nearly zero, the effects of mismatched reflection and multipath due to wiring branching, etc. can be eliminated, and noise interference and impedance from non-communication devices can be eliminated by frequency selection means. Since disturbance can be eliminated, highly reliable high-throughput power line communication can be realized.

  According to the present invention, when performing communication using the power line, one plug for connecting to a power outlet device disposed on the power line, an outlet unit including a plurality of outlets connected in parallel, and a plug A power line communication stabilization device comprising a frequency selection means arranged between the power supply unit and the outlet unit, connecting the plug to the power line, and connecting the communication device to the outlet connected in parallel after the frequency selection means. It connects and communicates, and it can eliminate the effects of transmission loss due to the wiring path length, mismatch reflection due to wiring branching, etc. and multipath, and noise interference and impedance disturbance from non-communication equipment. Therefore, highly reliable high-throughput power line communication can be realized. Therefore, it is possible to construct an environment that guarantees a high effective speed enough to withstand real-time transmission of high-quality AV streams.

  Further, mounting is very easy and mounting can be realized at low cost. Also, the user does not need specialized knowledge or specialized outsourcing work when installing the device.

Hereinafter, a power line communication stabilizing device, an electronic device using the same, and a communication method according to embodiments of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a power line communication stabilization device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the power line communication stabilization device 100 includes a plug 11, a low-pass filter 12 as frequency selection means, and an outlet portion 13.

  The plug 11 is a power plug for connecting to a power outlet device disposed on the power line. The plug 11 has a plug plug blade connected to a power outlet and a lead wire for connection to the power line communication stabilizing device 100. One end of the lead wire is connected to the low-pass filter 12. The plug 11 can be connected to, for example, a wall outlet disposed indoors.

  The low-pass filter 12 is composed of capacitors C1 and C2 and coils L1 and L2, and allows the power supply frequency (near 50 to 60 Hz) to pass without hindrance and sufficiently blocks a signal in a communication band, for example, 2 to 30 MHz. That is, power can be supplied to the communication device through the low-pass filter 12 without any trouble. As the low-pass filter 12, it is preferable that the loss in the pass band is substantially zero and the insertion loss in the cutoff band is approximately 40 dB or more.

  One end of the low-pass filter 12 is connected to the plug 11, and the other end is connected to the outlet portion 13.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a characteristic example of the low-pass filter 12. As shown in FIG. 2, the power supply frequency (50 to 60 Hz) is in the passband, and the pass loss is almost zero. On the other hand, the communication band (for example, 2 to 30 MHz) is in the cutoff area, and can sufficiently block leakage of communication signals to the outside of the communication area and noise from external electronic devices. That is, the low-pass filter 12 exhibits a high impedance with respect to the communication frequency and a low impedance with respect to the power supply frequency.

  As the frequency selection means, a band pass filter having a structure that sufficiently passes the power supply frequency and sufficiently blocks high-frequency signals such as a short wave band may be used.

  The outlet unit 13 includes a plurality of outlets connected in parallel, for example, outlets 13a, 13b, and 13c connected in parallel. These outlets 13a, 13b, and 13c can be inserted with a power plug of a communication device. The outlet unit 13 is connected to the low-pass filter 12 and receives power from the power line via the low-pass filter 12.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a power line communication system 200 using the power line communication stabilization apparatus 100. The power line communication system 200 is a communication system that performs communication indoors using a power line, and configures the communication system by using one power outlet disposed on the power line.

  As illustrated in FIG. 3, the power line communication system 200 includes a power line communication stabilization device 100, a power line 20 as a communication path, a wall outlet 21 b, a communication device A, and a communication device B. In this case, the plug 11 of the power line communication stabilization device 100 is connected to the wall outlet 21 b arranged on the power line 20. Communication devices A and B are connected to outlets 13a and 13b of outlet unit 13, respectively. In the power line communication system 200, an electronic device (non-communication device) is generally connected to the power line 20. For example, the electronic devices C and D are also connected to other wall outlets 21c and 21d.

  Here, the communication device A is, for example, an STB (Set Top Box) device with a built-in power line communication modem, and the communication device B is, for example, a television receiver with a built-in power line communication modem. The electronic device C is, for example, a general audio device, and the electronic device D is, for example, a general computer.

  In the power line communication system 200 configured as described above, the total length of the communication wiring is within a few meters, and impedance disturbance and noise from other electronic devices C and D that do not communicate are shut out. Is possible.

Hereinafter, a communication method for performing power line communication using the power line communication stabilization device 100 will be described.
When performing communication using the power line, the plug 11 of the power line communication stabilizing device 100 is connected to the wall outlet 21b disposed on the power line 20, and the outlet unit 13 disposed after the low-pass filter 12 is connected. By connecting the communication devices A and B, the power line communication system 200 that performs communication between the communication devices A and B is configured.

  In this case, the power of the communication devices A and B is supplied from the wall outlet 21b via the power line communication stabilization device 100. The communication signal from the communication device A is transmitted to the communication device B through the power line of the communication device A and the outlets 13a and 13b of the power line communication stabilization device 100. The communication signal from the communication device B is transmitted to the communication device A through the power line of the communication device B and the outlets 13b and 13a of the power line communication stabilization device 100.

  Further, noise from the non-communication electronic devices C and D transmitted through the wall outlet 21b is blocked by the low-pass filter 12 so that it cannot enter the communication side. Further, leakage of communication signals on the communication side to the outside is also prevented by the low-pass filter 12.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an actual measurement example of transmission loss in the power line communication system. FIG. 4A shows a measurement result when communication is performed using the power line communication stabilization device 100, and FIG. 4B shows two different outlets in the same room without using the power line communication stabilization device 100. FIG. FIG. 4C shows a measurement result when communication is performed using the same outlet without using the power line communication stabilization device 100.

  As shown to Fig.4 (a), when communicating using the stabilization apparatus 100 for power line communications, the transmission loss between the communication apparatuses A and B is substantially zero. Note that noise (noise interference) from the non-communication electronic devices C and D can be prevented.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 4B, when communication is performed between two different outlets in the same room without using the power line communication stabilizing device 100, the transmission loss is large. In this case, there is no problem in the best-effort communication with a general computer. However, when a high-speed AV stream is made to flow in real time, loss and fluctuation of frequency characteristics within the band can be a problem.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 4C, when communication is performed using the same outlet without using the power line communication stabilization device 100, transmission loss is hardly a problem in many cases. However, it is impossible to prevent noise (noise interference) from the non-communication electronic devices C and D. In addition, when the low-impedance non-communication electronic device C or electronic device D is connected to the power line 20, impedance disturbance cannot be excluded.

  Therefore, when power line communication is performed using the power line communication stabilization apparatus 100, the transmission loss is almost zero. Note that noise (noise interference) from the non-communication electronic devices C and D can be prevented. It is possible to construct an environment that guarantees a high effective speed enough to withstand real-time transmission of high-quality AV streams.

  Further, the power line communication stabilization device 100 shown in FIG. 1 can be incorporated into a communication device to constitute a communication device with the power line communication stabilization device 100. In this case, for example, the communication device A is a communication device with a built-in power line communication stabilization device 100. The power line of the communication device A is connected in advance to the outlet unit 13 of the power line communication stabilizing device 100. When performing power line communication, the plug 11 is connected to a wall outlet 21 b disposed on the power line 20, and the power plug of the communication device B is connected to the outlet 13 of the power line communication stabilization device 100 disposed on the communication device A. If it is inserted, the communication system as described above can be configured. The same applies when the communication device B is a communication device with the power line communication stabilization device 100 built-in.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when performing power line communication, a plug 11 for connecting to a power outlet disposed on the power line 20 and a plurality of outlets 13a, 13b, 13c connected in parallel. The power line communication stabilization device 100 including the section 13 and the low-pass filter 12 disposed between the plug 11 and the outlet section 13 is used to connect the plug 11 to the wall outlet 21 b disposed on the power line 20. The communication devices A and B are connected to the outlets 13a and 13b connected in parallel after the low-pass filter 12 to perform communication.

  As a result, it is possible to eliminate the effects of transmission loss due to wiring path length, mismatched reflection due to wiring branching, etc., multipath, etc., and noise interference and impedance disturbance from non-communication equipment can be eliminated. Reliable and high-throughput power line communication can be realized. Therefore, it is possible to construct an environment that guarantees a high effective speed enough to withstand real-time transmission of high-quality AV streams.

  Further, mounting is very easy and mounting can be realized at low cost. Also, the user does not need specialized knowledge or specialized outsourcing work when installing the device.

  In the above-described embodiment, the low-pass filter 12 includes capacitors C1 and C2 and coils L1 and L2. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The number of stages of filter components formed by the capacitors C1 and C2 and the coils L1 and L2 may be increased, or a configuration such as a bandpass filter may be used.

  Moreover, in the above-described embodiment, the plug 11 of the power line communication stabilization device 100 is connected to the main body 10 by a lead wire, but is not limited thereto. For example, the plug 11 may be configured to be incorporated in the main body 10.

  As described above, the stabilization apparatus for power line communication according to the present invention, the electronic apparatus using the same, and the communication method can realize real-time high-definition AV stream signals in a limited use environment in which communication is performed only in a room. It can be applied to high-speed power line communication that performs transmission.

It is a figure which shows the structural example of the stabilization apparatus for power line communications of embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a characteristic of a low-pass filter. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the power line communication system using the stabilization apparatus for power line communications. It is a figure which shows the example of an actual measurement of the transmission loss of power line communication. It is a figure which shows the signal transmission state of power line communication. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the conventional power line communication system.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Main body, 11 ... Plug, 12 ... Low pass filter, 13 ... Outlet part, 13a, 13b, 13c ... Outlet, 20 ... Power line, 21a, 21b, 21c, 21d ..Wall outlet, 100 ... Stabilizer for power line communication, 200, 300 ... Power line communication system, C1, C2 ... Capacitor, L1, L2 ... Coil

Claims (5)

One plug for connecting to a power outlet device arranged on the power line;
An outlet section comprising a plurality of outlets connected in parallel;
A frequency selection means disposed between the plug and the outlet portion;
The power line communication stabilizing device, wherein the outlet portion is electrically connected to the plug via a frequency selection means. The power line communication stabilization device according to claim 1, wherein the outlet section is for power and communication equipment. In communication equipment that communicates using power lines,
Having a power line communication stabilization device that connects multiple communication devices,
The power line communication stabilization device is
One plug for connecting to a power outlet device arranged on the power line, an outlet portion comprising a plurality of outlets connected in parallel, and a frequency selection means arranged between the plug and the outlet portion And the outlet part is electrically connected to the plug via a frequency selection means. The communication device according to claim 3, wherein the outlet portion is for power and communication devices. In a communication method of performing communication using a power line,
One plug for connecting to a power outlet device arranged on the power line, an outlet portion comprising a plurality of outlets connected in parallel, and a frequency selection means arranged between the plug and the outlet portion Using a stabilization device for power line communication composed of
Connect the plug to a power outlet device arranged on the power line,
Connect multiple communication devices to the outlet.
A communication method comprising performing communication between the plurality of communication devices via a power line.

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