JP2007142852A - Adapter - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an adapter stably fixable to a service outlet of a home inside wall, etc. <P>SOLUTION: A power line adapter 10 connectable to a commercial power service outlet to feed commercial AC power comprises an adapter frame 11, a first plug 13 provided on the backside of the adapter frame 11 inserted in a set of insert holes of the commercial power service outlet, and a second plug 14 provided on the backside of the adapter frame 11 inserted in a set of insert holes of the commercial power service outlet. The second plug 14 is disposed at a position with a specified distance from the first plug 13. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an adapter device that can be connected to a commercial power outlet to which commercial AC power is supplied.

  For example, when performing wired data communication at home, office, factory, etc. using a terminal such as a computer, it is usually necessary to lay wiring such as cables and connectors used as transmission paths where necessary. Therefore, various constructions must be performed before the start of operation of the communication equipment.

  On the other hand, most of the homes, offices, factories and the like use a commercial power supply, for example, an AC voltage of 100 V (50/60 Hz), so that a power line (electric light line) for supplying this power is used in the home or office. , Already laid everywhere in the factory. Therefore, if these power lines can be used for data communication, it is not necessary to newly provide special wiring for communication. That is, it is possible to secure a communication path simply by inserting the communication device into a power outlet.

  As a technique for using such a power line for communication, for example, a technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. At present, conditions for using power line communication (for example, frequency band) are being studied in various countries including Japan.

  Further, for example, Patent Document 2 includes a power line carrier transceiver that transmits and receives a power line communication signal to and from a power line carrier terminal, and can easily install a load device that can be monitored / controlled via a dedicated wiring. A power line communication adapter is described.

JP 2000-165304 A JP 2002-164823 A

  However, since the adapter device such as the above-described power line communication adapter includes a device such as a power line carrier transceiver, the adapter device becomes relatively large and heavy. When such an adapter device is used by being inserted into an outlet installed on a wall surface in the home, the adapter device is supported and supported by a large weight of the adapter device only by coupling the plug and the outlet. Therefore, the adapter device is not firmly fixed, so that there is a possibility that a contact failure with the outlet may occur or the adapter apparatus may drop off from the outlet.

  In addition, since the power line communication adapter needs to be provided between the power line and the electrical device, when communication is performed between a large number of electrical devices using the power line communication adapter having no power cord, The same number of power line communication adapters must be plugged directly into each outlet. On the other hand, since the outlet is installed at a low position near the feet, the power line communication adapter is generally difficult to enter the field of view. As a result, there are many power line communication adapters that are hard to enter the field of view, and the power line communication adapter is likely to drop off when hitting a foot or an object (for example, a vacuum cleaner). Since it was difficult to enter, even if it was likely to fall out of the outlet, there was a disadvantage that was difficult to notice.

  This invention is made | formed in view of said situation, Comprising: It aims at providing the adapter apparatus which can be stably fixed to electrical outlets, such as a household inner wall surface.

  The present invention, firstly, is an adapter device that is connectable to a power line via a commercial power outlet having a plurality of sets of insertion ports, and is supplied with commercial AC power from at least one set of the insertion ports, A housing having a first surface on the outer surface, and a set of protrusions provided on the first surface of the housing and inserted corresponding to the set of insertion ports of the commercial power outlet A first insertion portion that is provided on the first surface of the housing, is disposed at a predetermined distance from the first insertion portion, and is inserted into the first insertion portion. A second insertion portion having a set of protrusions inserted into another set of insertion ports different from the insertion port of the set, and an external communication connection portion for performing communication connection with an external communication device A power line that is electrically connected to at least one of the first plug-in part and the second plug-in part and uses the power line as a transmission path. Was carried out, the one in which the adapter device and a power line communication unit for relaying between the external communication connection unit and the power line is provided.

  With this configuration, the adapter device provided with the power line communication unit can be stably connected to an outlet such as a wall surface in the home because it is inserted into the outlet of the outlet and fixed by the first insertion part and the second insertion part. And can be fixed.

  2ndly, this invention is an adapter apparatus as described in said 1st, Comprising: Of the said 1st insertion part and said 2nd insertion part, the insertion part and electric which supply the said commercial alternating current power Is connected between the power outlet for supplying the commercial AC power to the outside, the plug section for supplying the commercial AC power and the power outlet, and has a low impedance in the frequency band of the commercial AC power. And a filter unit having a higher impedance than that of the commercial AC power in the other frequency band.

  With this configuration, it is possible to supply power from the outlet unit to the external device, and it is possible to suppress the influence on the power line communication due to the connection of the external device to the outlet unit.

  3rdly, this invention is an adapter apparatus as described in the said 1st or 2nd, Comprising: The said housing | casing has a magnitude | size which covers the said multiple sets of insertion port.

  With this configuration, it is possible to suppress the influence on the power line communication caused by the plug of another electrical product or the like being inserted into the adjacent insertion port.

  Fourthly, the present invention provides the adapter device according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the housing further includes a second surface facing the first surface on an external surface. And a through hole penetrating the first surface and the second surface, and the casing is fixed to the standard commercial power outlet by a fixing member passing through the through hole. .

  With this configuration, for example, the adapter device can be fixed by being fitted into an outlet provided on the wall surface, so that the adapter device can be fixed more stably and protrudes from the wall of the housing when inserted into the wall. The thickness of the portion to be reduced can be reduced.

  The fifth aspect of the present invention is the adapter device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the casing has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the external communication connection portion is a first of the casing. And a communication connector to which a communication cable is connected.

  With this configuration, when the plug-in portion is inserted into a commercial power outlet provided on the wall surface or the like, the communication cable connected to the communication connector can be arranged over the wall surface.

  Sixthly, the present invention provides the adapter device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein at least one of the pair of protrusions has a shape different from that of the other protrusions. .

  With this configuration, for example, when the outlet of the commercial power outlet has different shapes on the hot side and the cold side, the user can adjust the shape of the protrusion to the shape of the outlet so that the user can Can always be inserted in a fixed direction with respect to the insertion slot. Therefore, when the transmission characteristics are superior or inferior depending on the connected polarity, the transmission characteristics of the power line communication can always be kept good.

  Seventhly, the present invention provides the adapter device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the external communication connection unit performs wireless communication with the external communication device. Have

  With this configuration, when an external communication device connected to a network using a power line is capable of wireless communication, relay between the communication device and the power line communication can be performed by wireless communication.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the adapter apparatus which can be stably fixed to electrical outlets, such as a household inner wall surface, can be provided.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the embodiment of the present invention, a power line communication adapter will be described as an example of an adapter device that can be connected to a commercial power outlet to which commercial AC power is supplied.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an outline of an internal structure of a power line communication adapter according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the power line communication adapter according to the first embodiment as viewed from the front side. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of the power line communication adapter according to the first embodiment viewed from the back side.

  The power line communication adapter 10 shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 is a PLC (Power Line Communication) that performs transmission and reception of multicarrier signals in order to use a power line laid in a home as a communication transmission path. A modem function and a power supply circuit are incorporated, and are connected between a communication port of an electric device such as a personal computer (hereinafter simply referred to as “PC”) and a power line. For example, AC 100 V, 60 Hz, or 50 Hz is supplied to the power line as commercial AC power. In addition, as an electric equipment connected to the power line communication adapter 10, if it is an electric equipment which has a communication function, it will not necessarily be restricted to PC. For example, home appliances having a communication function (so-called network home appliances) may be used.

  The power line communication adapter 10 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 has a modem unit 12 inside an adapter housing 11 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and is further provided on the back surface (first surface) 11X of the adapter housing 11. The first plug 13 and the second plug 14 and a LAN (Local Area Network) modular jack 15 such as RJ45, to which a LAN cable can be freely connected as a communication cable.

  In addition, the 1st plug 13 and the 2nd plug are an example of the 1st insertion part and 2nd insertion part which have a set of projection part inserted corresponding to a set of insertion port in a commercial power outlet. The modem unit 12 functions as an example of a power line communication unit that performs communication using a power line as a transmission path. The LAN modular jack 15 functions as an example of a communication connector. The communication connector is an example of an external communication connection unit that performs communication connection with an external communication device.

  The first plug 13 and the second plug 14 provided so as to protrude from the back surface 11X of the adapter housing 11 are commercial power outlets (such as those shown in FIG. 10) installed in a general household. (Hereinafter simply referred to as a “wall outlet”) 20 is formed in a shape and size so that it can be inserted into and connected to the first insertion port 21 and the second insertion port 22. In other words, each of the first plug 13 and the second plug 14 is formed by arranging a pair of plate-like materials in parallel and can be inserted into the openings of the first insertion port 21 and the second insertion port 22. Has been.

  The distance H between the first plug 13 and the second plug 14 of the power line communication adapter 10 shown in FIG. 3 is equal to the distance H between the first insertion port 21 and the second insertion port 22 in the wall outlet 20 shown in FIG. The distance is equivalent to the standard outlet such as JIS). For this reason, the first plug 13 of the power line communication adapter 10 can be inserted into the first insertion port 21 shown in FIG. 10 and the second plug 14 of the power line communication adapter 10 can be inserted into the second insertion port 22 at the same time. Yes.

  By simultaneously inserting the first plug 13 and the second plug 14 of the power line communication adapter 10 into the first insertion port 21 and the second insertion port 22 of the wall outlet 20, the first insertion port 21 causes the first plug 13 to be inserted. The second insertion port 22 supports the power line communication adapter 10 via the second plug 14 at the same time. As a result, the plug insertion / extraction force and the rotational moment in the torsional direction can be increased, so even if a foot or object hits the power line communication adapter 10, the power line communication adapter 10 is firmly fixed to the wall outlet 20. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of poor contact with the outlet or dropping from the outlet.

  The first plug 13 of the power line communication adapter 10 is configured to have a conductor such as metal and is electrically connected to the modem unit 12 inside the adapter housing 11. That is, by inserting the first plug 13 into the first insertion port 21 of the wall outlet 20, the power line electrically connected to the connection terminal (not shown) inside the first insertion port 21, and the modem unit 12 Are electrically connected. Thereby, the modem part 12 can ensure the supply source of commercial alternating current power, and the transmission path for communication. In this example, the second plug 14 is also made of metal. However, since the second plug 14 is not connected to the modem unit 12, it need not be a conductor.

  The modular jack 15 is disposed so as to be exposed on the surface of the adapter housing 11 through the opening 11a. A communication cable is connected to the modular jack 15 in order to connect to an external communication device. Since Ethernet (registered trademark) is used as a standard communication network in the home, the modular jack 15 is connected to an electric circuit inside the modem unit 12 that provides a communication function of Ethernet (registered trademark). That is, the power line communication adapter 10 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 functions as a device that relays between the power line communication network and Ethernet (registered trademark).

  The modular jack 15 is preferably provided on a side surface 11Y of the housing 11, that is, a surface adjacent to the back surface 11X, as shown in FIGS. For example, when the power line communication adapter 10 is plugged into a wall outlet, a communication cable connected to the modular jack can be arranged over the wall.

  By the way, when there exists the wall socket 20 which has two or more connection ports, ie, the 1st insertion port 21 and the 2nd insertion port 22, as shown, for example in FIG. One electrical device is connected to the port 21, and another other electrical device is connected to the second insertion port 22.

  However, when performing power line communication, when a home appliance is connected to an outlet common to the PLC modem, the connected home appliance is a low impedance home appliance (for example, a home appliance having a charging function). When a household electric appliance that generates noise or noise (for example, a household electric appliance having an inverter function) is affected by the PLC modem, the noise characteristic of power line communication is deteriorated or the transmission speed is reduced.

  However, when the power line communication adapter 10 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 is connected to the wall outlet 20, the first insertion port 21 and the second insertion port 22 of the wall outlet 20 are simultaneously connected to the first of the power line communication adapter 10. Since the first plug 13 and the second plug 14 are used in the inserted state, the wall outlet 20 does not have a vacant outlet. Therefore, there is no worry that other electric devices are connected to the wall outlet 20 common to the power line communication adapter 10, and power line communication can be performed in a good communication environment. A configuration example of an electric circuit such as the modem unit 12 will be described later.

  According to the first embodiment of the present invention, since the first plug and the second plug are inserted and fixed into the outlet of the outlet, the adapter device can be stably attached to the outlet such as a wall surface in the home. Can be fixed.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an outline of the internal structure of the power line communication adapter according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an appearance viewed from the front side of the power line communication adapter according to the second embodiment. FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of the power line communication adapter according to the second embodiment viewed from the back side. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the part which overlaps with FIGS. 1-3 demonstrated in 1st Embodiment.

  The power line communication adapter 10A shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 has a modem unit 12 inside an adapter housing 11 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as in the first embodiment, and further on the back surface 11X of the adapter housing 11. A first plug 13 and a second plug 14 provided, and a modular jack 15 are provided.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the service outlet 18 is provided in a state of being exposed to the opening 11 b provided on the front surface 11 </ b> Z that is a surface facing the back surface 11 </ b> X of the adapter housing 11. This service outlet 18 is electrically connected to an insertion portion that supplies commercial AC power, functions as an example of a power outlet that supplies commercial AC power to the outside, and connects various electric devices to the commercial AC power source. It has an insertion port (similar to the first insertion port 21 and the second insertion port 22 in FIG. 10) compatible with a standard plug, and has a pair of electrodes inside. The service outlet 18 may be provided on a side surface adjacent to the back surface 11X of the adapter housing 11.

  As in the first embodiment, the first plug 13 and the second plug 14 provided so as to protrude from the back surface 11X of the adapter housing 11 are as shown in FIG. 10 installed in a general household. It is formed in a shape and size that can be inserted into and connected to the first insertion port 21 and the second insertion port 22 of the wall outlet 20. In other words, each of the first plug 13 and the second plug 14 is formed by arranging a pair of plate-like materials in parallel and can be inserted into the openings of the first insertion port 21 and the second insertion port 22. Has been.

  By simultaneously inserting the first plug 13 and the second plug 14 of the power line communication adapter 10 </ b> A into the first insertion port 21 and the second insertion port 22 of the wall outlet 20, the first insertion port 21 causes the first plug 13 to be inserted. The second insertion port 22 supports the power line communication adapter 10A via the second plug 14 at the same time. As a result, the power line communication adapter 10 </ b> A is firmly fixed to the wall outlet 20.

  The first plug 13 of the power line communication adapter 10 </ b> A is configured to have a conductor such as metal and is electrically connected to the modem unit 12 inside the adapter housing 11. That is, by inserting the first plug 13 into the first insertion port 21 of the wall outlet 20, the power line electrically connected to the connection terminal (not shown) inside the first insertion port 21, and the modem unit 12 Are electrically connected. Thereby, the modem part 12 can ensure the supply source of commercial alternating current power (AC100V), and the transmission path for communication.

  In the present embodiment, the second plug 14 is also made of a conductive material such as metal. The second plug 14 is not connected to the modem unit 12 but is electrically connected to an electrode inside the service outlet 18 via the filter unit 19.

  The filter unit 19 has an impedance upper that passes only a frequency component (power) that is equal to or lower than the commercial AC power frequency, and that blocks other frequency components because the impedance becomes high, and the second plug 14 and the service outlet As for the impedance between the internal electrodes 18, it has a very low impedance in a low frequency band in the vicinity of the commercial AC power frequency (50/60 Hz), and a relatively high frequency band (for example, 2 MHz to 30 MHz used for power line communication). ) Has a very high impedance.

  That is, commercial AC power appears from the wall outlet 20 to the service outlet 18 via the second plug 14, and therefore, by connecting plugs of various electric devices to the service outlet 18, power is supplied to external electric devices. be able to. However, since high frequency noise or the like does not pass through the filter unit 19, noise generated by the electrical equipment connected to the service outlet 18 hardly appears in the modem unit 12 or the power line. In addition, since the impedance of the filter unit 19 is high in a relatively high frequency band used for power line communication, the influence of the impedance of the electrical equipment connected to the service outlet 18 is not present on the modem unit 12 side in the power line communication frequency band. It hardly appears.

  According to the second embodiment of the present invention, the AC power can be supplied to various electrical devices that require commercial AC power via the power line communication adapter 10A, and noise generated by the electrical devices. It is also possible to avoid the deterioration of the performance of power line communication due to the influence of the impedance of the electric device.

  The service outlet 18 may be connected to the first plug 13 instead of the second plug 14 and supplied with power.

(Third embodiment)
FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an outline of the internal structure of the power line communication adapter according to the third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an appearance viewed from the front side of the power line communication adapter according to the third embodiment. FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of the power line communication adapter according to the third embodiment viewed from the back side. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the part which overlaps with FIGS. 1-6 demonstrated in 1st Embodiment and 2nd Embodiment.

  The power line communication adapter 10B shown in FIGS. 7 to 9 has a modem unit 12 inside an adapter housing 11 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as in the second embodiment, and further on the back surface 11X of the adapter housing 11. A first plug 13 and a second plug 14 provided, a modular jack 15, and a service outlet 18 are provided.

  As in the first embodiment, the first plug 13 and the second plug 14 provided so as to protrude from the back surface 11X of the adapter housing 11 are as shown in FIG. 10 installed in a general household. It is formed in a shape and size that can be inserted into and connected to the first insertion port 21 and the second insertion port 22 of the wall outlet 20. In other words, each of the first plug 13 and the second plug 14 is formed by arranging a pair of plate-like materials in parallel and can be inserted into the openings of the first insertion port 21 and the second insertion port 22. Has been.

  Incidentally, a wall outlet installed in a home is generally configured as shown in FIGS. FIG. 10 is a front view showing a state in which the decorative panel in the first example of the wall outlet is attached, and FIG. 11 is a front view showing a state in which the decorative panel in the first example of the wall outlet is removed.

  FIG. 12 is a front view showing a state in which the decorative panel in the second example of the wall outlet is removed, and FIG. 13 is a front view showing a state in which the decorative panel in the third example of the wall outlet is removed. 10 to 12 are used in Japan, and the wall outlet 20C shown in FIG. 13 is used in the United States. Here, the hatched portion in FIGS. 11 to 13 indicates a space portion.

  First, the wall outlet 20 shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 will be described. A hollow mounting box 27 as shown in FIG. 11 is embedded in the wall surface in the home. Then, the outlet body 26 having a shape as shown in FIG. 12 is fixed in the mounting box 27 using a fixing member such as a screw. A power line (not shown) is connected to the electrode inside the outlet body 26. The outlet body 26 is provided with a first insertion port 21 and a second insertion port 22.

  And the plate-shaped of which the opening part was formed in the 1st insertion port 21 and the 2nd insertion port 22 so that the space around the 1st insertion port 21 and the 2nd insertion port 22 may become invisible to a user. The decorative panel 23 is arranged so as to cover the front side of the outlet body 26, and the decorative panel 23 is fixed to the outlet body 26 by screws 24 and 25. In order to fix the screws 24 and 25, as shown in FIG. 11, screw outlets 31 and 32 are formed in the outlet body 26 at corresponding positions. Thus, since the commercial AC power supply can be isolated from the outside by covering the decorative panel 23, safety can be ensured.

  In the wall outlet 20B shown in FIG. 12, the frame 28 is fixed to the outlet body 26 with screws 24 and 25, and a panel similar to the decorative panel 23 shown in FIG. . Further, in the wall outlet 20C shown in FIG. 13, one screw hole 33 is formed at the center of the outlet body 26C.

  On the other hand, when the power line communication adapter 10B is used, almost the entire wall outlet 20 is covered with the power line communication adapter 10, so the decorative panel 23 as shown in FIG. 10 is not necessarily required. Therefore, the power line communication adapter 10 </ b> B shown in FIGS. 7 to 9 is configured so that it can be attached with the decorative panel 23 removed from the wall outlet 20.

  The power line communication adapter 10B shown in FIGS. 7 to 9 is configured assuming that it is attached to the wall outlet 20 shown in FIGS. That is, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the adapter housing 11 has openings 11c and 11d which are through holes formed at positions corresponding to the screw holes 31 and 32 shown in FIG. In the openings 11c and 11d, screws that fix the housing to a standard outlet pass from the front surface (second surface) 11Z facing the back surface 11X on which the first plug 13 and the second plug are provided to the back surface 11X. It is an example of a through-hole.

  Accordingly, the screws 16 and 17 are inserted into the openings 11c and 11d of the adapter housing 11 as shown in FIG. 7, and the screw holes 31 of the wall outlet 20 (state of FIG. 11) with the decorative panel 23 removed are shown in FIG. Screws 16 and 17 are fixed to 32. Accordingly, the power line communication adapter 10B is supported by the screws 16 and 17 in addition to the two locations of the first plug 13 and the second plug 14, and is firmly fixed to the wall outlet 20.

  When the power line communication adapter 10B is attached to the wall outlet 20B having the structure as shown in FIG. 12, the frame 28 is removed from the wall outlet 20B and protrudes from the power line communication adapter 10B instead of the screws 24 and 25. The screws 16 and 17 to be used may be fixed. Further, when the power line communication adapter 10B is attached to the wall outlet 20C having the structure shown in FIG. 13, an opening on the adapter housing 11 through which the screws 16 and 17 are passed in accordance with the positions of the screw holes 33. May be determined. In any case, since the positions of the screw holes 31 to 33 on the outlet body 26 are mostly determined by the standard, the positions where the openings 11c and 11d are formed are the first plug 13 and the second plug. What is necessary is just to determine based on the relative positional relationship with the position which formed 14.

  Next, a hardware configuration of the power line communication adapter including the first to third modem units 12 will be described. FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating an example of hardware of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In addition, in FIG. 14, the example of 10 A of power line communication adapters in which the filter part 19 in 2nd Embodiment was provided is shown.

  As illustrated in FIG. 14, the power line communication adapter 10 </ b> A includes a circuit module 200 that mainly functions as the modem unit 12 and a switching power supply 300. The switching power supply 300 supplies +1.2 V, +3.3 V, and +12 V to the circuit module 200.

  The circuit module 200 includes a main IC (Integrated Circuit) 201, an AFE IC (Analog Front End IC) 202, a low-pass filter (LPF) 203, a driver IC 205, a coupler 206, a band-pass filter (BPF) 207, and an AMP (amplifier) IC 209. , An ADC (AD conversion) IC 210, a memory 211, an Ethernet (registered trademark) physical layer IC (PHYIC) 212, and a radio unit 213 connected to the antenna ANT. Here, the antenna ANT and the wireless unit 213 function as an example of an external communication connection unit in which the communication connector performs communication connection with an external communication device.

  The main IC 201 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 201a, a media access control (MAC) block 201b, and a power line communication / physical layer (PLC / PHY) block 201c. The AFE IC 202 includes a D / A converter (DAC) block 202a, an A / D converter (ADC) block 202b, and a variable amplifier (VGA) block 202c. The coupler 206 includes a coil transformer 206a and a capacitor 206b. The wireless unit 213 performs communication using a wireless LAN communication method compliant with, for example, IEEE 802.11.

  The input terminal of the coupler 206 and the input terminal of the switching power supply 300 are electrically connected to the first insertion port 21 of the wall outlet 20 via the first plug 13. Thereby, commercial AC power is supplied to the switching power supply 300 from the power line PL. Further, the circuit module 200 can use the power line PL as a communication transmission line. Further, since the service outlet 18 is connected to the second plug 14 via the filter unit 19, commercial AC from the power line PL can be obtained by inserting the second plug 14 into the second insertion port 22 of the wall outlet 20. Electric power can be supplied to electrical equipment connected to the service outlet 18. However, since the impedance of the filter unit 19 is high in the frequency band used for communication, the impedance and noise of the electrical equipment connected to the service outlet 18 do not significantly affect the power line communication of the circuit module 200.

  A terminal (for example, a personal computer) that performs communication using the power line PL as a transmission path is connected to the modular jack 15 via an Ethernet (registered trademark) communication cable, or via a wireless LAN communication line. And just connect. Note that at least one of the modular jack 15 and the wireless unit 213 may be provided.

  For example, the power line communication adapter 10 can be connected to a wall outlet including three or more sets of insertion ports. When there are three or more sets of outlets in the wall outlet, another plug in addition to the first plug 13 and the second plug 14 is connected to the power line communication adapter 10 in accordance with each outlet of the wall outlet. It is also possible to provide it. Alternatively, only the first plug 13 and the second plug 14 may be provided in the power line communication adapter 10 and the size of the adapter housing 11 may be made large enough to cover all three or more insertion ports.

  In the first to third embodiments described above, the case where the wall outlet has the same shape has been described. However, the wall may have a different shape depending on the polarity or the like. In this case, about one set of projection parts which the 1st plug 13 and the 2nd plug 14 have, at least one projection part may have a shape different from other projection parts. By doing so, the user can always plug in the outlet in a certain direction. For example, when a set of protrusions is a pair of plate members, each of these plate members may have a shape that matches the insertion port between the hot side and the cold (ground) side of the commercial AC power supply. In this way, when the insertion of the pair of plate members is reversed between the hot side and the cold side, the transmission characteristics can be set to always be better when the transmission characteristics are superior or inferior. For example, in the case of a single-phase three-wire system, the L1 phase and the L2 phase correspond to the hot side, and the cold side corresponds to the neutral line (neutral).

  In the first to third embodiments described above, the case of the rectangular parallelepiped has been described as the shape of the adapter housing 11. However, if two plugs are provided on the back surface, the adapter housing 11 does not necessarily need to be a rectangular parallelepiped. For example, the shape may be a polyhedron in which a corner is chamfered on a rectangular parallelepiped, or a shape covered with a curved surface. Moreover, in Embodiment 1 thru | or 3 mentioned above, although the back surface 11X was shown as an example of a 1st surface, if it is a surface where two plugs are arrange | positioned at a predetermined distance, such a flat surface is not necessarily required. It is not necessary to be a curved surface.

  In the first to third embodiments described above, a case where a service outlet 18 as an example of a power outlet for supplying the commercial AC power to the outside is connected to an outlet not connected to the modem unit will be described. However, the service outlet 18 may be connected to the modem unit. For example, an insertion port that can supply commercial AC power such as a metal material is connected to the modem unit, and the insertion port is further connected to the service outlet 18 through a filter having the same characteristics as the filter unit 19. It may be a configuration. In this case, if the other insertion port different from the insertion port is configured not to supply commercial AC power (that is, if the other insertion port has only a function of holding the housing), the other insertion port Since the insertion port is not connected to the power line, a surplus space can be secured in the vicinity of the other insertion port. The filter needs a relatively large size in order to secure a predetermined rated current (for example, 15 A for AC100V), but the adapter device can be miniaturized by arranging it in this extra space. .

  The adapter device of the present invention has an effect that can be stably fixed to an outlet such as a wall surface in the home, and is useful for a power line communication adapter or the like.

The perspective view which shows the internal structure outline of the power line communication adapter which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention The perspective view showing the external appearance seen from the front side of the power line communication adapter which concerns on 1st Embodiment The perspective view showing the external appearance seen from the back side of the power line communication adapter which concerns on 1st Embodiment The perspective view which shows the internal structure outline of the power line communication adapter which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention The perspective view showing the external appearance seen from the front side of the power line communication adapter which concerns on 2nd Embodiment The perspective view showing the external appearance seen from the back side of the power line communication adapter which concerns on 2nd Embodiment The perspective view which shows the internal structure outline of the power line communication adapter which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. The perspective view showing the external appearance seen from the front side of the power line communication adapter which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. The perspective view showing the appearance seen from the back side of the power line communication adapter concerning a 3rd embodiment Front view showing the appearance of the first example of a wall outlet Front view showing a state in which the decorative panel in the first example of the wall outlet is removed The front view which shows the state which removed the decorative panel in the 2nd example of a wall socket Front view showing a state in which the decorative panel in the third example of the wall outlet is removed. The block diagram which shows the structural example of the electric circuit provided in a power line communication adapter inside

Explanation of symbols

10, 10A, 10B Power line communication adapter 11 Adapter housing 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d Opening portion 12 Modem portion 13 First plug 14 Second plug 15 Modular jack 16, 17 Screw 18 Service outlet 19 Filter portion 20, 20B, 20C Wall outlet 21 First insertion port 22 Second insertion port 23 Cosmetic panel 24,25 Screw 26 Outlet body 27 Mounting box 28 Frame 31,32,33 Screw hole 200 Circuit module 201 Main integrated circuit 201a CPU
201b MAC block 201c PLC / PHY block 202 AFE integrated circuit 202a DA conversion block 202b AD conversion block 202c Variable gain amplification block 202 AFE integrated circuit 202a DA conversion block 202b AD conversion block 202c Variable gain amplification block 203 Low pass filter 205 Driver integrated circuit 206 Coupler 206a Coil transformer 206b Capacitor 207 Band pass filter 209 Amplifier 210 AD conversion integrated circuit 211 Memory 212 Ethernet (registered trademark) physical layer integrated circuit 213 Radio unit 300 Switching power supply ANT Antenna PL Power line

Claims (7)

An adapter device that is freely connectable to a power line via a commercial power outlet having a plurality of sets of insertion ports, and that is supplied with commercial AC power from at least one set of the insertion ports,
A housing having a first surface on an external surface;
A first insertion portion provided on the first surface of the housing, and having a set of protrusions inserted corresponding to the set of insertion ports of the commercial power outlet;
Other than the one set of insertion ports provided on the first surface of the housing, arranged at a predetermined distance from the first insertion portion, and inserted with the first insertion portion. A second insertion portion having a set of protrusions inserted into the set of insertion ports;
An external communication connection unit for performing communication connection with an external communication device;
It is electrically connected to at least one of the first plug-in part and the second plug-in part, performs communication using the power line as a transmission path, and relays between the external communication connection part and the power line. An adapter device comprising a power line communication unit. The adapter device according to claim 1,
Among the first plug part and the second plug part, a power outlet that is electrically connected to the plug part that supplies the commercial AC power and supplies the commercial AC power to the outside,
Arranged between the power supply outlet and the plug for supplying the commercial AC power, has a low impedance in the frequency band of the commercial AC power, and compared with the frequency band of the commercial AC power in other frequency bands An adapter device further comprising a filter unit having high impedance. The adapter device according to claim 1 or 2,
The said housing | casing is an adapter apparatus which has a magnitude | size which covers the said multiple sets of insertion port. The adapter device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The housing further includes
A second surface facing the first surface on the outer surface;
A through hole penetrating the first surface and the second surface;
The casing is an adapter device that is fixed to the standard commercial power outlet by a fixing member passing through the through hole. The adapter device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The housing has a rectangular parallelepiped shape,
The said external communication connection part is an adapter apparatus which is provided in the surface adjacent to the 1st surface of the said housing | casing, and has a communication connector to which a communication cable is connected. The adapter device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
An adapter device in which at least one of the pair of protrusions has a shape different from that of the other protrusions. The adapter device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The external communication connection unit is an adapter device including a wireless unit that performs wireless communication with the external communication device.

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