Patent ID: 6218931
Filing Date: 2001-04-17
Classification: H04B,H04L

Abstract:
A network interface for a residential appliance, the network interface comprising:a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) configured to receive a stream of transmit data and to generate a baseband signal therefrom;wherein the transmit data include one or more of: an appliance control signal and an appliance status signal;a high-frequency oscillator configured to generate a carrier wave;a high-frequency mixer coupled to said high-frequency oscillator and to said DAC, wherein said high-frequency mixer is configured to receive the carrier wave from said high-frequency oscillator and to modulate the baseband signal onto the carrier wave, thereby generating a narrowband transmit signal;a spreading-code generator configured to generate a spreading code, wherein the spreading code identifies the residential appliance;a spreading mixer coupled to said high-frequency mixer and to said spreading-code generator, wherein said spreading mixer is configured to receive the narrowband transmit signal from said high-frequency mixer, and to receive the spreading code from said spreading-code generator, wherein said spreading mixer is configured to modulate the narrowband transmit signal with the spreading code, thereby generating a wideband transmit signal;a wiring interface coupled to said spreading mixer and configured to receive the wideband transmit signal therefrom;wherein the wiring interface is adapted to transmit the wideband transmit signal onto a household power grid;wherein the wiring interface is further adapted to receive a wideband received signal from the household power grid;a despreading mixer coupled to said wiring interface and to said spreading-code generator, wherein said despreading mixer is configured to receive the wideband received signal from the wiring interface and to receive the spreading code from said spreading-code generator, wherein said despreading mixer is configured to demodulate the wideband received signal with the spreading code, thereby recovering a narrowband received signal;a detector circuit coupled to said despreading mixer and configured to generate a digital signal in response to the narrowband received signal.