Abstract:
A power supply that has an integrated power line networking coupling circuit and a connector to accept a removable power line networking module. The power supply and associated system can be sold without power line networking or with power line networking, and if sold without power line networking, it can be upgraded at a later time to support power line networking. Additionally, power line networking modules can be replaced in the field if failures occur or for upgrade purposes if a more robust networking standard becomes available.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]    This application is related to, and claims priority to U.S. provisional application No. 60/443,078, filed Jan. 28, 2003, entitled “APPARATUS AND METHODS OF NETWORKING DEVICES, SYSTEMS AND COMPUTERS VIA POWER LINES”, Attorney Docket Number P1930US00, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein, including all of the documents referenced therein. Additionally, this application is related to U.S. application titled, “MODULATED DATA TRANSFER BETWEEN A SYSTEM AND ITS POWER SUPPLY,” which was filed on even date herewith; attorney docket number P1993US00 and inventor Keith Thomas. Additionally, this application is related to U.S. application titled, “HOME POWER LINE NETWORK CONNECTED PHONE,” which was filed on even date herewith; attorney docket number P1994US00 and inventor Frank Liebenow. 
     
    
     
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention generally relates to the field of power supplies where the power supply serves not only as a conduit for power coming into a system, but also serves as a conduit for network data to come in and out of a system. The present invention relates to a modular networking capability of a power supply.  
         BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART  
         [0003]    There are several forms of networking available today. These include networking over dedicated wires such as IEEE Standard 802.3, wireless networking such as IEEE Standard 802.11 and, more recently, networking over existing wires, including phone lines (Home Phone Line Alliance) or power lines (HomePlug™ Power Line Alliance). Each form of networking has its advantages and disadvantages. For example, an advantage of wireless networking allows the user to roam anywhere within range of an Access Point and a disadvantage of such would be lower transmission throughput. Networking over power lines has recently become viable with technology promoted by the HomePlug™ Powerline Alliance. This technology is especially useful for systems that generally require an external power source when operating. For example, a desktop computer or a printer must be plugged into a standard power source such as 120V AC in order to operate. Even systems that have secondary power sources, such as notebook computers having rechargeable batteries, are predominately used while connected to an AC power source.  
           [0004]    Current HomePlug™ Powerline Alliance network adaptors use a network interface module that resembles a “wall-wart” power supply. In this, the wall-wart device is plugged into the power source (e.g., 120V AC) and contains the entire power line network adapter which extracts networking signals from the power line and translates them into a standard interface protocol, such as Universal Serial Bus (USB) version 2.0, Firewire (IEEE 1394) or Ethernet. Likewise, interface packets coming from the USB interface are translated into power line networking signals and are modulated onto the power line. The USB interface is then connected to the system, possibly a computer system, a printer or another device that needs a network connection. This method of connecting a system to the power line works, but requires a separate component, e.g., the “wall-wart,” a second cable, and instead of using one outlet for system power, requires a second outlet for the “wall-wart.” Furthermore, it requires a data connection to the system through an external data connector such as a USB Port, Firewire Port or Ethernet Port. This reduces the number of free available external data connectors by one.  
           [0005]    Being that systems are generally connected to AC power in order to receive operating power, it would be advantageous to integrate the power line networking into a system&#39;s power supply. In that, both can share isolation and protection systems, both can share an enclosure (if needed) and both can share one connection to the AC power source (e.g., 120 V AC). Existing power supplies have no capabilities for power line networking. One way to accomplished this would be by routing the raw AC power to another component outside of the power supply, yet within the system. This would have the adverse affect of exposing components outside of the power supply enclosure to the dangers associated with a direct connection to AC power. Alternately, this could be accomplished by including the complete networking adapter within the power supply. This solution would provide protection from the dangerous AC power, but has the problem of creating a power supply that always has the added cost of integrated power line networking. Such a solution may be useful if every system uses power line networking, but with all the alternate networking methods previously listed, there are situations where some customers want power line networking, some want wireless and some want dedicated, high-speed connections (e.g., Ethernet). If every power supply included power line networking, then those customers who did not use power line networking would be burdened by the increased cost and reliability issues associated with extra components integrated into their power supply. Manufacturers could offer some systems with the integrated power line networked power supply and some systems with a non-integrated power supply, but this would require careful forecasting and would require a complete power supply replacement should the customer later decide to convert to power line networking. A solution that exhibits these pitfalls is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,373,377 to Sacca, et al., which describes an approach whereby a large portion of the network adapter is included in every power supply. This approach adds considerable electronics to the power supply, for example, an Analog Front End (AFE), Control Circuitry, Digital to Analog Converters, Analog to Digital Converters and a Digital Interface for connection to the main system.  
           [0006]    A solution to the problem of integrating power line networking into every power supply would be to provide a module that could be inserted into the power supply or mounted on the outside surface of a power supply and that module would connect to the AC power source through the power supply and perform all power line network functions.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    The present invention is directed to a power supply that has a receptacle for receiving a module, said module having a power line networking adapter. The module may fit into the power supply through an opening in the power supply&#39;s case or may attach to the surface of the power supply&#39;s case, held in place possibly by the friction of a connector or another fastening means. With this invention, power supplies can be manufactured with minimal added expense so that a manufacturer can produce systems where the same power supply is included in every model, yet the power line network module can be added after receiving a customer order or at any time the power line networking option is desired. Since the design can allow for isolation from dangerous AC power levels, the end-user can safely upgrade their system with minimal risk of shock. The power line network upgrade slot can be covered by a door to prevent insertion of metal objects into the power supply when the option isn&#39;t present. Since the module may be entirely contained in a power supply, proper coupling to the AC supply of the power supply may be accomplished. By providing the module within a power supply, the module does not need to be further isolated from the power line, provided that the digital output is isolated. With respect to power line networking, another advantage of this type of integration is that, with insertion of the module, the power supply becomes a standalone, self-contained device that handles communication with the power line. In this way, the power supply alone is subject to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) compliance. In another embodiment of the present invention, the power line networking module may be attached to the outside of the power supply and connected to possibly power and the AC line through a connector. In this embodiment, it may be necessary to encapsulate the power line networking module to reduce the risk of electrical shock and, possibly, to shield from undesired emissions. In this embodiment, the module may be held in place by the friction of the connector or may have additional fasteners, perhaps a hook at one end and a screw at the other.  
           [0008]    Another advantage of the present invention is the ability to upgrade the power line network adapter without replacing the entire power supply. If the power line networking was integrated into the power supply and the user wanted to upgrade, perhaps to take advantage of a newer, faster power line networking interface standard, they would have to purchase a new power supply at a higher cost and increased shipping weight. Instead, with the present invention, the upgrade could be accomplished by removing the existing power line networking module and inserting a new power line networking module, perhaps a new module that has greater throughput. In another embodiment of this invention, all power line networking components may be located on the module, including the coupling circuits. In this embodiment, the power line input may be routed directly to the module through a connector.  
           [0009]    It is to be understood that both the forgoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary only and are not restrictive of the invention as claimed. The general functions of this invention may be combined in different ways to provide the same functionality while still remaining within the scope of this invention. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]    The numerous advantages of the present invention may be better understood by those skilled in the art by reference to the accompanying figures in which:  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a power supply with modular power line network capability, shown without the network module inserted.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a power supply with modular power line network capability, shown with the network module inserted.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 3 shows a pictorial diagram of a power supply with modular power line network capability, shown without the network module inserted.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 4 shows a pictorial diagram of a power supply with modular power line network capability, shown with the network module inserted.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of a power supply as described in the prior art. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0016]    Reference will now be made in detail to the presently discussed embodiment of the invention, an example of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings.  
         [0017]    Referring now to FIG. 5, a computer system PC for power line networking as described in the prior art is shown (see U.S. Pat. No. 6,373,377). This patent may show how to integrate a substantial subsection of the power line networking adapter into the power supply, but it does not show how to design a modular power supply that can accept a power line networking module when desired.  
         [0018]    Power line network access circuitry  538  is coupled through a digital interface  542  (serial, parallel or a combination thereof) to a power supply  540 . The power line network access circuitry  538 , which may be part of a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) card, provides digital data through the digital interface  542  and receives digital data from the digital interface  542 . The PCI card may be, for example, a network interface card (NIC)  550 . Note that the present invention does not require a separate network interface card (NIC). Power line network access circuitry generally refers to circuitry for transmission or reception of data over a power line or circuitry for processing such data to or from a host controller. The digital interface  542  generally includes a transmitter to transmit digital data to the power supply  540  and a receiver to receive digital data from the power supply  540 . In addition to data signals, the digital data may include control signals such as AFE, ADC and DAC control signals and clock synchronization signals.  
         [0019]    The power supply  540  is adapted for digital data coupling to the NIC  550 . A digital coupler  536  generally defines a bidirectional communication interface between the NIC  550  and the power supply  540 . The digital coupler  536  represents a digital communication channel between the NIC  550  and the power supply  540 . On the NIC (or PCI card or power line network access circuitry) side, the digital coupler  536  is coupled to the digital interface  542 . The digital data from the digital interface  542  is communicated to the power line network access circuitry  538 . On the power supply side, the digital coupler  536  is coupled to a circuitry block  528  described below.  
         [0020]    With the digital coupler  536 , data signals are transmitted or received between the power line network access circuitry side and the power supply side in digital form. The digital coupler  536  may be implemented as a direct parallel connection, serial connection or a combination thereof. For example, data can be sent with a parallel interface while control signals are coupled with a serial interface, depending on the speed of the digital interface and the required control data rate. The digital coupler  536  may be direct, capacitive, resistive, inductive, optical or a combination thereof. The digital data provided through the digital coupler  536  may be modulated over a high-frequency digital data carrier for transmission through the digital coupler  536 .  
         [0021]    The circuitry block  528  includes the digital interface  534 , a DAC  530 , an ADC  532  and control circuitry  544 . The digital interface  534  couples digital data to and from the digital coupler  536 . The digital interface  534  may, for example, be a digital parallel and/or serial interface. The DAC  532  converts digital data from the digital interface  534  to analog form to be transmitted to the power line. The ADC  530  converts analog data signals received from the power line to be provided to the digital interface  534  into digital form. The control circuitry  544 , which may be accessed through the digital interface  534 , may handle control of the DAC  532 , the ADC  530 , the digital interface  534  and an AFE  546 .  
         [0022]    Coupled to the circuitry block  528  is the AFE  546 . The AFE  546  amplifies a small-signal analog data carrier from the DAC  532  into a large-signal analog data carrier for transmission to the power line at an adequate power level. The AFE  546  can be an AFE known in the art. Like the circuitry block  528 , the AFE  546  is powered by its connection to the positive side of a local power source  500  which may be a dedicated DC power source internal or local to the power supply  540 . The local power source  500  may be a subsection of a system power source  590 , which specifically provides power to the AFE  546  and the circuitry block  528 . The local power source  500  may be isolated or non-isolated with respect to the power supply  540  that provides power to the NIC  550 . If the digital coupler  536  provides isolation, the local power source  500  can be non-isolated with respect to the power line. If the digital coupler  536  is isolated, for example, the local power source  500  can be referenced to the power line and may be derived from a winding (primary or secondary) of the system power source  590  to lower overall system cost. It should be understood that the local DC power source  500  may be implemented in a variety of ways.  
         [0023]    The power supply  540  connects to a power line through a hot terminal  502  and a neutral terminal  504 . The AFE  546  may be coupled through the hot terminal  502  and the neutral terminal  504  either directly (in the non-isolated case) or through an isolation transformer (in the isolated case).  
         [0024]    Since the power supply  540  generally is implemented as a switching power supply which is known to generate high-frequency noise at its input terminal, it may useful to couple a filter between the input terminal of the system power source and the power line node where the AFE  546  is coupled to improve signal-to-noise ratio. In accordance with digital data coupling for a power supply, a power-line AFE may be entirely contained in a power supply. No portion of the AFE therefore needs to be provided on the power-line network access circuitry side. By providing the AFE in a power supply, the AFE does not need to be isolated from the power line, provided that the digital coupler is isolated. With respect to power-line networking, another potential advantage of digital data coupling is that the power supply becomes a standalone, self-contained device that handles communication with the power line. In this way, the power supply alone is subject to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) compliance and the PC card manufacturer does not have to obtain FCC compliance for the NIC with respect to power-line networking. Further, with digital data coupling, power-line networking is no longer constrained by the DC voltage levels available on the power-line network access circuitry side. For example, by supporting digital data coupling between a NIC and a power supply, an adequate voltage swing to drive a data carrier onto a power line is achieved without relying upon the low voltage levels used for the NIC.  
         [0025]    Referring now to FIG. 1, a block diagram of the present invention shown without the networking module is described. The block diagram of the power supply  100  includes an AC input connector  110  that is coupled to a power conversion circuit  135  through paths  120  and  125 . Power conversion circuit  135  can be any type known in the art, possibly a switching regulator or chopping regulator, for example. Power conversion circuit  135  typically takes as input an AC voltage from 100VAC to 240VAC and converts it into one or more DC voltages, possibly 3.3VDC, 5VDC, +12VDC and −12VDC, as an example, but may also convert its input to an AC voltage or any combination. Power conversion circuit  135  can be a circuit similar or the same as an existing standard power supply conversion circuit, with or without modifications. Power conversion circuit  135  may connect to an output connector  140  through wires  150 , though it is well known in the art for power supplies to not have an output connector  140  and instead, have one or more power cables  150  extending outside of the power supply&#39;s case or frame with connectors at each end to connect to various system components, for example mother boards, optical drives and hard disk drives. The diagram is shown in this manner for simplicity purposes being that the connection means is well known in the industry and may not affect this invention.  
         [0026]    Included in the power supply of FIG. 1 is a slot  160  for receiving a power line networking module (module is not shown in this figure) and components required by a power line networking standard to couple to the power line as well as isolate the network module from potentially dangerous voltages, spikes and noise. The components shown are those currently recommended for power line networking and are shown only as an example. As power line networking implementations change, perhaps to achieve higher throughput or reliability, these components may change. It is to be noted that, in general, these components are relatively low-cost components and may not add significant costs to the resulting power supply. Therefore, they can be included in every power supply without significant cost impacts on systems that do not include the power line networking option. Furthermore, these components may be located upon the power line networking module in some embodiments. The coupling components consist of a coupling capacitor  195  and coupling resistor  190 , diodes  185 , transformer  180  and varistor  130 . Although component values are not the subject of this invention, typically, these components may be 0.01 uf at 275V for capacitor  195 , 400 kilo-ohm, 5%, ⅛ Watt for resistor  190 , 6V, low-capacitance TVS DO-204AC (SAC 6.0) for diodes  185 , 470V, 1250 Amp MOV (EZRV-07D471) for varistor  130  and transformer  180  is a custom signal coupling transformer. Connector  170  is provided for connection to the optional power line network module (not shown in this diagram).  
         [0027]    Referring now to FIG. 2, a block diagram of the present invention shown with the networking module inserted is described. The block diagram of the power supply  200  includes an AC input connector  210  that is coupled to a standard power conversion circuit  235  through paths  220  and  225 . Power conversion circuit  235  can be any type known in the art, possibly a switching regulator or chopping regulator, for example. Power conversion circuit  235  typically takes as input an AC voltage from 100VAC to 240VAC and converts it to a DC voltage, possibly 3.3VDC, 5VDC, +12VDC and −12VDC, as an example, though it may also output AC voltages or any combination. Power conversion circuit  235  can be a circuit similar or the same as an existing standard power supply conversion circuit, without modification or with minor modifications. Power conversion circuit  235  may connect to an output connector  240  through wires  250 , though it is well known in the art for power supplies to not have an output connector  240  and instead, have one or more power cables  250  extending outside of the power supply&#39;s case or frame with connectors at each end to connect to various system components, for example mother boards, optical drives and hard disk drives. The diagram is shown as it is for simplicity purposes being that the connection means is well known in the industry and may not affect this invention.  
         [0028]    Included in the power supply of FIG. 2 is a slot  260  for receiving a power line networking module  262  and components required by a power line networking standard to couple to the power line as well as isolate the network module from potentially dangerous voltages, spikes and noise. The components shown are those currently recommended for power line networking and are shown only as an example. As power line networking implementations change, perhaps to achieve higher throughput or reliability, these components may change. It is to be noted that, in general, these components are relatively low-cost components and do not add significant costs to the resulting power supply. Therefore, they can be included in every power supply without significant cost impacts on systems that do not include the power line networking option. The coupling components may be relocated to the power line networking module in some embodiments. The coupling components consist of a coupling capacitor  295  and coupling resistor  290 , diodes  285 , transformer  280  and varistor  230 . Although component values are not the subject of this invention, typically, these components may be 0.01 uf at 275V for capacitor  295 , 400 kilo-ohm, 5%, ⅛ Watt for resistor  290 , 6V, low-capacitance TVS DO-204AC (SAC 6.0) for diodes  285 , 470V, 1250 Amp MOV (EZR-V07D471) for varistor  230  and transformer  280  is a custom signal coupling transformer. Connector  270  is provided for connection to the optional power line network module  262 .  
         [0029]    Connector  269  of power line networking module  262  mates with connector  270  and passes signals between the power line networking module&#39;s  262  components and transformer  280 . As shown, transformer  280  has two primary windings and one secondary winding. In the current power line networking implementation, each primary winding corresponds to one of a transmit winding and a receive winding. This is shown as an example of a current implementation and is not meant to limit this invention. The power line networking module may be inserted into the power supply to mate with connector  270  or may be attached upon the outside surface of the power supply and connector  270  may be substantially on the surface or in any desired configuration. In this case, it is preferred that connector  270  is female and connector  269  is male so as to reduce any risk of potential shock. Transformer  280  can have any number of primary and secondary windings or can be any device that provides similar signal conversion along with adequate power-line voltage isolation.  
         [0030]    Power line networking module  262  may consist of an analog front-end  268  and a digital conversion circuit  266 . The analog front-end  268  sends and receives signals to and from the power line through connectors  269  and  270  and through coupling capacitor  295  and coupling resistor  290  and communicates directly with the digital conversion circuit  266 . Digital conversion circuit  266  transforms the analog signal to and from a digital signal and transmits/receives digital signals from a host system through connector  264 . Digital conversion circuit  266  may contain a processor, digital signal processor or other controller along with necessary components such as crystals and memory, though it is not limited to such. The digital signals used for transmitting and receiving data from the host through connector  264  may be any form of parallel or serial transmission, for example, Universal Serial Bus (USB) may be used. Connectors  269  and  270  may be of various types typically used in the industry. Preferably, connector  269  is the male connector and  270  is the female, but this can be reversed. In one possible embodiment, these connectors are 8 pin header connectors with 0.025″ posts at 0.1″ centers such as Molex part number 22-03-2081. It should be noted that the host to which the power line networking module communicates may be a computer or any other device with a power supply; for example, a printer.  
         [0031]    Referring now to FIG. 3, a pictorial diagram of the present invention shown without the networking module inserted is described. The pictorial diagram of the power supply  300  includes an AC input connector  330  that is coupled to a standard power conversion circuit  335  which may be a printed circuit card having a plurality of components mounted on its upper and lower sides. The components for power line networking shown in figures FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 may be mounted on printed circuit card  335 . Two of these components are shown as an example  336 , though there may be many. Connector  350  is the connector that interfaces the power line networking coupling and isolation components to the power line networking module  360 . Power supply  300  may have a fan  320  for cooling purposes. Rails  340  may be provided to guide the insertion of power line networking module  360 , but are not necessary for this invention.  
         [0032]    Power line networking module  360  is shown aligned and ready for insertion into power supply  300 . When inserted, connector  370  will mate with connector  350  and provide signal continuity between power supply  300  and power line networking module  360 . Various exemplary components are shown on power line networking module  360 , including connector  380 , which may be the data connection for transferring data between the system and power line networking module  360 . As indicated previously, this data connection may be that of any serial or parallel interface, but a preferred embodiment would be a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface. In another embodiment of this invention, power line networking module  360  may be mounted externally to power supply enclosure  310  instead of being inserted within. In that case, connector  350  may be on the surface of power supply enclosure  310  and would preferably be a female connector and power line networking module  360  may be fastened to power supply enclosure  310  through various means known in the industry, perhaps with a hinge on one end and a screw on the other.  
         [0033]    Referring now to FIG. 4, a pictorial diagram of the present invention shown with the networking module inserted is described. The pictorial diagram of the power supply  400  includes an AC input connector  430  that is coupled to a standard power conversion circuit  435  which may be a printed circuit card having a plurality of components mounted on its upper and lower sides. The components for power line networking shown in figures FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 may be mounted on printed circuit card  435 . Two of these components are shown as an example  436 , though there may be many. Connector  450  is the connector that interfaces the power line networking coupling and isolation components to the power line networking module  460  and is shown mated to connector  470  of power line networking module  460 . Power supply  400  may have a fan  420  for cooling purposes. Rails  440  may be provided to guide the insertion of power line networking module  460 , but are not necessary for this invention.  
         [0034]    Power line networking module  460  is shown inserted into power supply  400 . Connector  470  is mated with connector  450  and provides signal continuity between power supply  400  and power line networking module  460 . Various exemplary components are shown on power line networking module  460 , including connector  480 , which may be the data connection for transferring data between the host and power line networking module  460 . As indicated previously, this data connection may be that of any serial or parallel interface, but a preferred embodiment would be a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface. It should be noted that the host to which the power line networking module communicates may be a computer, processing unit or any other device with a power supply; for example, a printer.  
         [0035]    It is believed that the present invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood by the forgoing description. It is also believed that it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the components thereof without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention or without sacrificing all of its material advantages. The form herein before described being merely an explanatory embodiment thereof. It is the intention of the following claims to encompass and include such changes.