Patent ID: 8390435

Claim:
A power line communication (PLC) system for lighting installations, comprising: a transmitter comprising: an input coupleable to a source of AC power, an output coupleable to a power distribution network, a sensor circuit coupled between the input and the output and operative to sense a current flowing between the input and the output, a switch circuit coupled in series with the sensor circuit between the input and the output and operable according to a switch control signal in a first state to allow current to flow between the input and the output and a second state to prevent current from flowing between the input and the output, and a transmitter controller receiving at least one user input signal or value and operative to provide the switch control signal to the switch circuit to transmit data to the power distribution network by selectively interrupting current flow between the input and the output at least partially according to the at least one user input signal or value; and a receiver coupled in series with the transmitter via the power distribution network, the receiver comprising: a first terminal coupled to the transmitter output via the power distribution network, a second terminal coupled to the source of AC power via the power distribution network, a rectifier operative to rectify AC power received from the power distribution network, a driver circuit operable according to a driver control signal to selectively provide electrical power from the rectifier to drive a lighting device, a load control circuit operative to selectively apply an auxiliary load to a load side of the rectifier according to a load control signal, the load control circuit operative to sense current interruptions caused by the transmitter and to provide a data output indicative of the sensed current interruptions, and a receiver controller operatively coupled with the load control circuit to selectively provide the load control signal to load the rectifier output and operative to receive the data output and provide the driver control signal at least partially according to received data from the transmitter.