Powerline luminaire communications.

(54) Title: LIGHTING COMMUNICATIONS BY ELECTRICAL LINE.

(54) Title: POWERLINE LUMINAIRE COMMUNICATIONS.

(57) Summary

A system and method for a lighting control system for controlling street lighting fixtures using modified geometric harmonic modulation for communications over a power line; at least some of the lighting fixtures have another communications capability that enables RF communications; Communications can be sent via messages to lighting fixtures to read RF-enabled meters.

(57) Abstract

A system and method for a lighting control system to control street lighting fixtures using modified geometric harmonic modulation for communications over a powerline. At least some of the lighting fixtures have another communications capability that enables RF communications. The communications may by messages be sent to the lighting fixtures to read RF enabled meters.

PATENT TITLE No. 354452

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<td>Headlines):</td><td>GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY</td>

<td>Home:</td><td>1 RiverRoad, Schenectady, NewYork, 12345, USA</td>

<td>D nomination:</td><td>LIGHTING COMMUNICATIONS BY ELECTRICAL LINE.</td>

Classification!

CIP:

H05B37 / 02; F21

G08C1

H0SB3;

-G01S1 • HQ5Bá \ Y02B20 / 72

Ι8; Χάξ1Ρ15 / 18; G01R22 / 06; G08B21 / 18; G08C17 / 02;

CPC:

Inventor (s)

Reference patent

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Industrial.

to «on foundation and of the Pf idtud i ^ i ^ acional iARNefpraqHN erik hershey;

Núméiro:

MX / a / 2016/0066 ».

Validity: Date of Ven; 'ExM date

In accordance with the article from the filing date

Who subscribes to this title is h (Official Gazette of the Federation 25/01/2006, 06/05 / 2009,06 / 01/2010, 18/0 of the Regulations of the Mexican Institute of articles 1^or, 3°, 4^or, 5^or fraction V subsection a), 16

12/27/1999, amended on 10/10/2002, 07/29/2004, Deputy Generals, Coordinator, Divisional Directors, Titul, Departmental and other subordinates of the Mexican Institute of Trojfreda 08/04/2004 and 09/13/2004 2007).

G01S11 / 06; 04W4 / 046;

.G01S11 / 02;

G01S19 / 14;

H05B37 / 0263;

G01S11 / 12;

erniíotbnaii

14,*** *

Non-extendable number, counted to rights.

a Industrial Property Law 1999, 01/26/2004, 06/16/2005, subsection a), 4^or and 12th sections I and III / »002, 07/15/2004, 07/28/2004 and 09/07/2007); Mexican Industrial Property Act (a sound DOF that delegates powers to the Directors, Divisional Deputy Directors, Coordinators 2/1999, amended on 02/04/2000, 07/29/2004,

This letter is signed with an advanced electronic signature (FIEL), based on articles 7 BIS 2 of the Industrial Property Law; 3 of its Regulations, and 1 fraction III, 2 fraction V, 26 BIS and 26 TER of the Agreement establishing the guidelines for the use of the Electronic Payment and Services Portal (PASE) of the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property, in the procedures indicated.

THE DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR OF PATENTS

NAHANNY CANAL REYES

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Original string:

NAHANNY MARISOL CANAL REYES | 00001000000403252793 | Administration Service

Tax | 1695 || MX / 2018/18932 | MX / a / 2016/006669 | PCT patent title | 1220 | RRGO | Page (s) 2 | 1RwhVWVxYTgrOryrXPIn3m7gRNCc =

Digital stamp:

VNKTGMEU¡STsRYYD6abW49s4 / 70Y7dlyvP6veQynH8voAJWA8pMgFJHSnbBI5Uvw8IYMxQQ2q0d4WQ23eQDzKrBazT nrbFN7fL / xd1JrOBM6m7IMAjmCBfzHe4N6EY2PD7kjAlnXjiOJRspr9gV2ZGMubUWIJJyW, XeJ3t7 + Ug5gfJ7IKR9 iy4zNWAscBQ4FXgmGLoPFOw89cfimhcOtpvc3MBjhdrYdRaXtZYMS8BXDypT2gOQU3cFpwnUo39sOB4QE79A9aTj \ / v kbPjA bPrRnomlGbZxYvRm + 41 + Fk2JcscMZ / Eu212dN JukiZGE / 61 dakVxiGgCv2w8u74YDJQ == * Additional information to reverse

Arenal No 550, Piso 1, Pueblo Santa María Tepepan, Xochimilco, 16020, Mexico City.

(55) 53340700 www.gob.mx/impi

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Country:

US US US US US US US US

Continuation Priorities

Sheet:

Number:

<td>November 21, 2013</td><td> 61/907,069</td>

<td>November 21, 2013</td><td> 61/907,114</td>

<td>November 21, 2013</td><td> 61/907,150</td>

<td>November 21, 2013</td><td> 61/907,168</td>

<td>November 21, 2013</td><td> 61/907,188</td>

<td>November 21, 2013</td><td> 61/907,133</td>

<td>November 21, 2013</td><td> 61/907,210</td>

<td>November 18, 2014</td><td> 14/546,856</td>

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INSTITUTO MtXIOiM) OF THE OWNER?

LIGHTING COMMUNICATIONS BY ELECTRICAL LINE ^ '^rial

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————— .

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED REQUESTS

This application is a non-provisional application for, and claims the benefit of, United States of America Provisional Patent Applications Serial No. 61 / 907,069, 61 / 907,078, 61 / 907,090, 61 / 907,114, 61 / 907,133, 61 / 907,150, 61 / 907,168, 61 / 907,188 and 61 / 907,210 filed on November 21, 2013, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates generally to outdoor lighting systems that provide lighting for driveways, parking lots, building exteriors, and other outdoor areas using pole-mounted attachments or other structures. Lighting fixtures are wired to an alternating current (AC) line power source and include drivers or ballasts that provide power to lamps, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), or other light sources. Improved energy efficiency is desired for outdoor lighting systems, and therefore, improved lighting fixtures and fittings are desired to provide communication capabilities whereby outdoor lighting fixtures can be intelligently used to provide lighting without consuming excess energy.

Wireless non-optical radio frequency (RF) communications have been suggested for many industrial applications including street lighting. Mesh communications have been widely promoted. Message routing protocols that select from a plurality of message routing possibilities can take advantage of having more than one node in communication with any other particular node within the mesh. This topology appears to offer redundancy and slight degradation under node failure. Wireless non-optical RF communication links are, however; Vulnerable to various problems, including changing propagation environments due to construction, vehicle movements, and other communication path deteriorations that vary over time. Wireless non-optical RF communication links are also susceptible to degradation due to the changing electromagnetic noise characteristic and also potential malicious interference. Such changing environmental aspects can increase the latency of communications carried on the mesh network, decrease its usable bandwidth, and reduce

INSTITUTO MEXICANO 'Z &lt;* í = «Ki £» concomitantly its performance. Additionally, wireless non-optical RF mesh networks have been reported to include the difficulties and complexities of maintenance and management, antenna design, and successful operation under real-world conditions including implementation and maintenance issues, protocol and deficiencies discovered under escalation and unanticipated interference scenarios.

While a mesh communications architecture works well in compliance with some luminaire communications, there are segments of luminaire communications that may require protection against some of the occasional deterioration experienced in a wireless mesh architecture. Therefore, there is a need for other communication and control network options to operate and monitor assets within a public lighting network.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of public lighting control communications.

In one embodiment, the outdoor lighting system comprises a plurality of street lighting fixtures having communication capabilities, a lighting control system configured to communicate with and control the street lighting fixtures, and at least one of the fixtures. street lighting configured to communicate with at least one RF-enabled meter.

One modality teaches the use of modified geometric harmonic modulation to signal to remote street lighting fixtures on a power line connected to both the lighting control system and street lighting fixtures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will be better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent similar parts in all the drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a system diagram illustrating an exemplary outdoor lighting system that includes RF-enabled outdoor fixtures that form a bridged mesh network with a lighting control system that obtains data from power meters. RF-enabled services through communications through a re

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RF of the lighting system.

FIGURE 2 is another system diagram showing an exemplary outdoor lighting system with multiple mesh network portions interconnected by a repeater with a portion bridged to a general use network system.

FIGURE 3 is a system diagram illustrating an exemplary outdoor lighting system including Power Line Carrier (PLC) enabled outdoor lighting fixtures that form a lighting system network that is bridged with a lighting control of a general use network system, where the control system obtains data from RF-enabled service meters through communications through a general-purpose network and the lighting system network.

FIGURE 4A illustrates a modified GHM transmitter coupled to a power line according to one embodiment.

FIGURE 4B illustrates a modified GHM receptor coupled to a power line according to one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to outdoor lighting systems and methods in which the RF and / or PLC enabled outdoor lighting fixtures form one or more networks. A lighting control system within a larger general use network can use the networks for control and / or monitoring purposes. For example, the lighting control system may obtain data from one or more utility meters by communication through the general use network and the lighting system network.

The disclosed modalities can be advantageously employed to facilitate the reading of utility meters without the need for manual reading of residential or commercial / industrial meters or localized wireless readings obtained from vehicles crossing local streets. Instead, meter data consumers and services can obtain meter information through lighting control systems that control and / or monitor outdoor lighting fixtures through RF mesh networks and / or networks. PLC-based premises. The lighting control system can obtain the meter data through communications with the general use network and the lighting system network. This use of outdoor lighting infrastructure as a conduit for information from utility meters can, in this way, save enormous resources for utility companies in providing personnel for operations ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ nWüaüu ^^

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[NDL'STRIAL meters and / or the expense of building and maintaining dedicated network infrastructures.

FIGURE 1 depicts an embodiment for an aTatretfbre ~ ™ · lighting system-2 with RF-enabled outdoor lighting fixtures 100 forming an RF mesh network 10 for communication between some or all of the fixtures 100 next to a road or street

twenty. The mesh network 10 can be formed by means of one or more individual RF communications links 102 or connections between the attachments 100 that are within range of each other. Links 102 can be continuous or discontinuous, with network 10 being an ad-hoc self-healing network. Attachments 100 in certain modes individually are capable of receiving an address and may have unique IDs, so that each attachment 100 is capable of identifying messages destined for that attachment 100 and retransmitting received messages that are intended for other attachments 100 to others in-network attachments 10. In the above manner, two attachments 100 can communicate with each other through one or more intervening attachments 100, even though they are not directly within the RF range of the other.

FIGURE 2 illustrates an embodiment for RF enabled outdoor lighting fixtures 100 that can establish RF mesh network connections 102 to form multiple mesh network portions around road surface 20a and 20b. Repeaters 400 can then bridge the mesh network portions into a larger mesh network 10. For example, FIGURE 2 shows a first RF mesh network 10a and a second RF mesh network 10b, with repeater 400 interacting between networks 10a, 10b to provide communications resulting in an RF mesh network 10 larger mesh. Furthermore, one or more of the RF enabled outdoor lighting fixtures 100 may be operable to communicate by RF signaling with at least one RF enabled service meter 30. The RF enabled service meter 30 may be, for example, an RF enabled gas meter, a water meter, an electric power meter 30, alone or in combination. It is envisaged that any RF-enabled meter 30 can operate in place of or in conjunction with the above meters.

The RF mesh network 10 can be bridged with a lighting control system 202 of a general purpose network system 200 using any suitable bridging apparatus. In the embodiments shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, a bridging component 215 provides communications that interact between the RF mesh network 10 and a general purpose network 210 of a network system 200. In certain modalities, the bridging component may be a modem, such as a pole-mounted Central Data Collection Point (CDCP) modem 215a communicatively coupled to one of the network mesh 100 attachments 10 to allow RF communications between RF mesh network 10 and general use network 210. Elsewhere, P l Ρ bí LA PROÓFlEDAb 'Q provides an Internet connection for one of the affiTi-100 attachments to the

<img file="MX354452B_D0010.tif" />

RF enabled network 10 in RF mesh and interconnects the cnmunic ^ ji ^ ne ^ between the rpdps 10 and.-_ 210.

The control system 202 may be operative to obtain meter data 252 from one or more RF-enabled service meters 30 through communications through the general-use network 210 and the RF network 10 of the lighting system. Control system 202 can then provide meter data 252 to one or more meter data consumers 250, such as utility companies, municipalities, businesses, and so forth. In operation, the lighting control system 202 is operatively coupled to the general use network 210 via any suitable direct and / or indirect network interconnections, including wired and / or wireless interconnections to transfer signaling and / or messaging. System 202 further operates to control or monitor at least one of the RF-enabled outdoor lighting fixtures 100, in addition to obtaining data from the RF-enabled service meter (s) 30 by means of communications through the general purpose network 210, bridging component 215, and RF mesh network 10.

In certain embodiments, the RF mesh network 10 may use a ZigBee wireless communication protocol, although other suitable communication protocols may also be used. Furthermore, the attachments 100 can operate using a number of different communication protocols. For example, a first communication protocol (eg, ZigBee) can be used to communicate with other add-ons 100 on the mesh network 10, and a second communication protocol can be used to communicate with service meters 30. In certain embodiments, the lighting control system 202 can instruct one or more of the lighting fixtures 100 to switch to a second protocol to contact one or more meters 30 to obtain readings or other data therefrom. Once the lighting control system 202 has obtained the desired meter data, the attachment 100 will return to the first protocol to retransmit the obtained meter data 252 back to the controller 202 via the RF mesh network 10, any Controller router (s) 400, bridging component 215, and utility network 210.

The wireless interface of the individual attachments 100 can act as a router and retransmit received messages that are not intended for that particular attachment 100, thereby facilitating the establishment and operation of the mesh network 10. For example, in a mode where at least one of the individual attachments has ballast control units, a message intended for a ballast control unit of a specific attachment, the message may be relayed to the ballast control unit of that

<img file="MX354452B_D0011.tif" />

s attachment and the command on it is used to control the ballasts

DE LA PROEJE'-AD JQ light outlets. Other devices can be paired with network 10 on^{; í}Wíá'IIá^A1plus · 100 outdoor lighting fixtures, 30 ^ meters, 400 repeaters, and illustrated bridging components 215. For example, external RF-enabled presence / motion detectors, external RF transmitters and / or receivers, and other similar devices. For example, the mesh network 10 in certain embodiments may include a coordinator unit, such as a single coordinator per mesh network 10 (eg, 1 for portion 10a of the network and one for portion 10b in FIGURE 2). ). After initiating any network device, the attachment 100 is registered with the coordinator unit using a unique identification. In the case of outdoor attachments 100, the record may include messages notifying the attachment capabilities coordinator unit, for example, how many dimmable controllers / ballasts 116 and light sources 114 and other parameters of the attachments, such as current dimming programs, profiles, or their control parameters, and / or diagnostic information.

The coordinator can coordinate the attachments 100 with other network devices and with each other. For example, the coordinator may send messages to attachment 100 containing operational commands to control dimmable ballasts and their light outputs. The coordinator unit can act based on internal stimuli, such as an internal timer or clock, or external stimuli, such as an event triggered by a network device or user, or instance, based on the commands received from the system

202 lighting control. For example, a coordinator unit can instruct the attachment

100 to activate the light outputs at a certain time or to activate the light outputs in response to motion detected by a motion detection device. The coordinator can be a dedicated network device, or it can be integrated with another network device that has additional functions. For example, a light fixture 100 or a bridging device 215, or a motion detector can act as the coordinator unit in addition to its previously described functionality. Additionally, not all network devices within mesh network 10 necessarily have to act as a router.

As shown in FIGURE 1, the general-purpose network system 200 can be any single or multiple network architecture that provides a processing environment in which one or more aspects of the present disclosure can be practiced. System 200 may include one or more processor-based lighting control systems 202 implemented in a networked computing environment. In the example of FIGURE 1, a desktop computer 202a and / or a laptop computer 202b is operatively coupled to a network 210. Each of the desktop computer 202a and / or the laptop computer 202b may include a display 204 graphic and one or more input devices, ta ^ j ^^ J ^^ l ^ l ^^^^ tattoo or other pointing device 208, microphones for v'fl ^ iiF'ótros ^ yiép ^ uvos input commands user (not shown). The portable computer 202b can be coupled with the network 210 by means of a wireless transceiver 211. Network 210, in turn, can be operatively connected to other networks either individually or in combination. Networks may include, but are not limited to, the Internet 216 which provides operational access between computers 202 and one or more network servers 212, a network database 214, an Internet data store 218 and a additional server 213. In this regard, one or more of the database 214 and the data warehouse 218, the servers 212, 213 and / or the computers 202 can provide storage for the meter data 252. Meter data 252 may be desired by a meter data consumer 250 to provide a secure unitized or distributed database. The storage can also be used for lighting control data or other information related to outdoor lighting systems that are operated and monitored by lighting control system 202.

Still referring to FIGURE 1, the processor-based lighting control system 202 may be implemented in whole or in part on a network server 212, on one or both of the computers 202, and / or in combination of the themselves. Control system 202 may include a microprocessor or other computational element 220, a communication interface 221 that operably interconnects control system 202 with network 210, as well as memory 224, a graphical user interface 222 that provides a display graphic 204 and one or more input devices such as the illustrated computer keyboard and / or mouse 206, 208. Memory 224 in this example may include data 229 and computer readable program code 225 with instructions executable by processor 220 to implement the functionality described herein. System 202 may operate on a unitary data set, and / or the data may be implemented in a distributed storage manner with portion storage in processor-based system 202, network server 212, and / or in one or more Internet-based data warehouses 213, 214, 218.

System 202 is communicatively interconnected (eg, via network 210) with one or more bridging components 215. The bridging components can be selected from a wide variety of components, such as a wireless network via a Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD) based modem, another wireless 215a interface, or a 215b Internet connection that can provide data exchange and other communications between one or more devices within the mesh network system 10. An example of, but not limited to, devices within the mesh network system 10 that may be in a communicative relationship are the light fixtures 100, the meters 30 such that the system 202

IMI and / or_lfeíWí ^ iél

OF THE EKOi

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processor-based lighting control receives data from devices 140, 100, 30. The processing element 220 is a program to allow the control and data center system ^ to collect the meter data 252. The collection of the meter data can be produced from one or more of the meters 30 that are communicatively (continuously or intermittently) coupled with the mesh network 10. In one embodiment, a given meter 30 can be read using an RF connection with at least one of the RF enabled lighting fixtures 100 of the mesh network 10 as shown in FIGURE 1. Another mode could read the meter 30 using a power line connection 604 (based on a PLC) to a power line serving one or more PLC enabled attachments 100 of an outdoor lighting network.

FIGURE 3 is an illustration of an embodiment for an outdoor lighting system 2 that may include power line communication (PLC) enabled outdoor lighting fixtures 100 that form a lighting system network 610 that is bridged with the lighting control system 202 of the utility network system 200. In this embodiment, the lighting control system 202 can obtain data from the PLC-enabled service meters 30 through communications through the general use network 210 and the lighting system network 610. The PLC-enabled outdoor lighting fixtures 100 may be operative to communicate via power line signaling with a PLC-enabled service meter 30 via the PLC outdoor lighting network 610, with one or more 215 components of bridging and / or a power line bridge and router 615 that provides communications that interact between the lighting network 610 and the general purpose network 210. The lighting control system 202 can operate as described above to control or monitor one or more of the PLC enabled attachments 100 and can also obtain meter data 252 from the PLC enabled service meter (s) 30 through communications through the general-use network 210, the bridging component 215, 615, and the PLC outdoor lighting network 610. Outdoor lighting network 610 in certain embodiments includes at least RF communication connections 102 between at least two of the outdoor lighting fixtures 100 as described above, and RF-based and PLC-based operations are they can be used separately or in combination in various modalities.

In certain embodiments, a modem bridging component 215a couples with one or more PLC-enabled outdoor lighting fixtures 100 to provide communications that interact between the lighting network 610 and the general-purpose network 210. In certain embodiments, an Internet bridging component 215b provides an Internet connection to the PLC enabled attachment 100 to interconnect communications between the PLC network 610 and the general purpose network 210. In certain modalities, the bridging component is a

IΜ ΡI powerline bridge and router 515 which provides comunicqgQResüquéiWra ^ fe ^^^ the 610 outdoor lighting PLC network and the general purpose 210 network. Bridge components can be used in the various implementations, along with repeaters 400 (eg, FIGURE 2 above) to connect segments of a 610, 10 PLC / RF network. In addition, PLC enabled devices 100, 615, etc. can provide multiple protocol support, for example, with one protocol used for communication with attachments 100 and another used for communication with service meters 30. In addition, the previously described presence detector functionality and use can be employed by means of one or more presence or motion detectors (eg, RF, directly connected, and / or PLC enabled) that are operatively coupled with one of the 100 outdoor lighting accessories enabled by PLC. The lighting attachment 100, furthermore, is operative to notify another attachment 100 of a signal or message of presence or movement detected, received from a detector by means of the PLC outdoor lighting network 610.

The electrical line supplying the luminaires in many public lighting applications makes use of underground power distribution cable runs. These underground cable runs are good candidates for carrying PLC signals to control luminaires and the devices associated with luminaires. These underground cable runs are dedicated or primarily dedicated to energizing the luminaires and are not subject to many of the damaging events that take place above ground, such as physical mishaps involving structures, some severe weather events, and so on. This offers an opportunity to double cost-efficient use of already installed cabling, sending and / or receiving communications from one or more access points on the power line to individual luminaires or luminaire groups. PLC technology is capable of providing communications over power distribution networks that have known and slowly changing topologies such as those networks installed for public lighting. In such networks, the communications engineer knows the locations of the individual luminaires and the extensions to and deletions of parts of the wiring are anticipated and known. Power line segments in a street lighting network are also relatively simple and this allows communication protocols to be developed that will scale with the size of the street lighting network.

The useful bandwidth of power line communications is a function of many parameters including noise. In accordance with the IEEE 1901 Standard for Broadband on Power Line Networks, Annex F, power line channels are subjected to four classes of noise. These include thermal background noise which is periodic and aperiodic, Gaussian, and colorful impulsive noise, narrowband AM noise, and noise from other media users.

IMPI communications by power line. For a dedicated power line

INDUSTRIAL energy, the last two noise classes are expected to be minimal. Other factors influencing the useful bandwidth of power line communications bought the topology dt »» the rod¿ impedance mismatches, grounding practices, and other physical characteristics that can induce reflections and phase changes and selective frequency attenuation. There may also be interference caused by aging or incipient failures within the underground wiring system.

When considering and planning a power line communications system using underground cable runs, three aspects of underground power distribution to a public lighting system can be considered. First, long underground cable runs can exhibit a capacitance that increases attenuation at higher frequencies for signals that are conducted on the power line, thereby reducing signal-to-noise ratios at these higher frequencies.

Second, long underground cable runs can accommodate stationary electromagnetic waves. These waves can also increase the apparent attenuation of power line-driven signals at frequencies corresponding to standing wave frequencies.

Third, power line communication signals may have to be transferred through transformers. This is due, in part, to meeting the need for meaningful regulation of the energy supplied to a traditional street lighting network, an imperative for at least two reasons. First, the current supplied to a lamp must be at its nominal value in order for the lamp to radiate its light at full brightness. Second, overcurrent currents forced through a lamp, even one percent more than lamp ratings, can reduce the life of the lamp by a significant percentage, sometimes as high as 25%. In order to achieve the required strict regulation of the energy supplied to the lighting network, lighting designers can employ constant current transformers. These transformers typically use a voice coil to provide constant current.

Additionally, power line communication signals can be altered as they pass through transformers. This results from the transformer that introduces non-linear phase changes to the broadband signal that passes through the transformer by means of inductive coupling.

A suitable power line communications system may be based on modified Geometric Harmonic Modulation (GHM) as taught in United States Patent No. 5,844,949 and United States Patent No. 6,424,250 both of which are incorporated by reference. The GHM is classified as IxWdb InaJrní ..

INSTITUTO MÍXICANv spread spectrum since the information transmitted is spread over the $ £ báraí

<img file="MX354452B_D0013.tif" />

wider than required by the information bandwidth and forms the physical layer (PHY) of the luminaire lighting network. Other modulation techniques, such as OFDM, are provided for this application. OFDM signals exhibit a high peak-to-average power ratio or high crest factor that requires the OFDM transmitter to have a higher resolution digital-to-analog converter (DAC) than the corresponding DAC used in the GHM transmitter. The same is true for OFDM receptors and GHM receptors. Converters that require a higher resolution tend to increase component costs. Consequently, while other modulation techniques are envisioned, GHM is discussed in the modalities described here.

Geometric Harmonic Modulation (GHM) is used in communication systems for radio wave communications and has been described in United States Patent No. 5,519,725 issued on May 21, 1996, Geometric Harmonic Modulation (GHM ) for Combined Analog / Digital Transmissions. GHM assigns signaling energy to lobes, or tones, at different frequencies that are evenly spaced at geometrically increasing multiples of a base frequency. GHM signaling waveforms are true spread spectrum signals in which the signal bandwidth, the bandwidth of the lowest to highest frequency tone, greatly exceeds the bandwidth of the information transmitted by the transmission GHM.

United States Patent No. 5,844,949 issued on December 1, 1998, teaches that by conveniently modifying the GHM signaling waveform, the waveform will exhibit very suitable spectral properties to significantly avoid the found synchronous noise environment much of the power line network. This was done through taking a more general look at GHM and power line noise. It was determined that the lobes of the modulated GHM signal must be positioned on a frequency spectrum interspersed with power line noise. Because power line noise can have a large amount of interference at the basic oscillation frequency, 60 Hz in the United States of America, and in overtones, multiples of the base frequency, the signal must not reside in these frequency regions. By modulating the signal to place most of its spectral energy between the interference lobes, the signal can be used for a particular power line communication application, depending on considerations of information capacity, the multiplicity of users, the line coupling response, and the characteristics of the communication channel. Selecting the frequencies correctly, as taught in the United States of America Patent No. 5,844,949 issued on December 1,

<img file="MX354452B_D0014.tif" />

MEXICAN ITUTO OF INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY

1998, the signal structure can be interspersed with lp noise &lt;application is referred to as Modified Geometric Harmonic Modulation ^

In another embodiment, the modified Geometric Harmonic Modulation signal may be pre-emphasized before being placed on the ILd line.¹¹ Pre-emphasis includes a pre-emphasis amplifier that applies a frequency-dependent amplitude mask to the modified Geometric Harmonic Modulation signal in order to adjust the spectrum of the signal so that it will be received at a selected point with more nearly equal energy at each one of the lobes of the received signal. This technique is effective in counteracting the effects of the severe frequency-dependent fading found in signal transmission.

The modified GHM forms the PHY layer for PLC communications. The Media Access Control (MAC) layer may comprise such functions as error detection, error correction, encryption and authentication, and repeat request. The highest levels of the communication protocol may comprise functions such as collision detection, collision avoidance, carrier detection multiple access, and time division multiple access transmission controls.

As shown in FIGURE 3, the lighting control system 202 may be electrically connected, via a connecting power line 405, to the power connection 604 of the power line serving the public lighting fixtures 100. The lighting control system 202 may be electrically connected in the manner illustrated in FIGURES 4A and 4B. FIGURE 4A illustrates the modified GHM transmitter 430 coupled to the power line by a transient protection device 420 that limits overvoltages. Overvoltage limiting protects downstream equipment, and passes the power line waveform to the modified GHM 430 transmitter. The GHM transmitter 430 determines the master timing information from the frequency of the fundamental power line. The power line driven message (PLC) generated by the modified GHM transmitter 430 is coupled onto the power line 410 by an adder 440.

FIGURE 4B illustrates the modified GHM receiver 450 coupled to the power line by a surge protection device 425 that limits surges, protecting downstream equipment, and passes the waveform of the power line to the GHM receiver 450 modified that retrieves information 460 from the PLC message.

Some modalities involve the use of one or more electronic or computing devices. Such devices typically include a processor or controller, such as, without limitation, a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a microcontroller, an on-site programmable gate array (FPGA). ), a computer instruction with reduced instruction set (RISC), a circuit

<img file="MX354452B_D0015.tif" />

application-specific integrated (ASIC), a prog &amp; mfcW logic circuit. (6LCJ. INSTITUTE another circuit or processor capable of executing the functions described herein. L8I ^ MSOS $ L may be encoded as executable instructions implemented on a computer-readable medium, including, without limitation, a storage device, and / or a memory device. Such Instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform at least part of the methods described here. The examples above are exemplary only, and therefore are not intended to limit the definition and / or meaning of the term processor in any way.

Exemplary modalities for improving construction parameters for making additive fabricated components are described in detail above. The apparatus, systems, and methods are not limited to the specific modalities described herein, but rather, the operations of the methods and the components of the systems can be used independently and separately from other operations or components here. described. For example, the systems, methods, and apparatus described herein may have other industrial or consumer applications and are not limited to practice with electronic components as described herein. Rather, one or more modalities can be implemented and used in conjunction with other industries.

Although specific features of the various embodiments of the invention may be shown in some drawings and not others, this is for convenience only. In accordance with the principles of the invention, any feature of a drawing may be referenced or claimed in combination with any feature of any other drawing.

An exemplary technical effect of the methods and systems described herein includes: (a) generating a melt bath based on the component construction parameters; (b) detecting an optical signal generated by the fusion bath to measure the size or temperature of the fusion bath; and (c) modify the construction parameters in real time based on the size or temperature of the melt bath to achieve a desired physical property of the component.

Some modalities involve the use of one or more electronic or computing devices. Such devices typically include a processor or controller, such as, without limitation, a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a microcontroller, an on-site programmable gate array (FPGA). ), a reduced instruction set computer processor (RISC), a specific application integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic circuit (PLC), and / or any other circuit or processor capable of executing the functions described here.

The methods described here can be encoded as executable instructions implemented on a computer-readable medium, including, without limitation, a

I ΚΛ Ρ 'Τ storage, and / or a memory device. Such instructions ^^ náqjse ^ éjedutao ^ üQr ^ processor, cause the processor to perform at least a part of the methods here described above examples are only exemplary, and therefore are not intended to limit in any way the definition and / or the meaning of the term processor.

Exemplary modalities for improving construction parameters for making additive fabricated components are described in detail above. The apparatus, systems, and methods are not limited to the specific modalities described herein, but rather, the operations of the methods and the components of the systems can be used independently and separately from other operations or components here. described. For example, the systems, methods, and apparatus described herein may have other industrial or consumer applications and are not limited to practice with electronic components as described herein. Rather, one or more modalities can be implemented and used in conjunction with other industries.

Although specific features of the various embodiments of the invention may be shown in some drawings and not others, this is for convenience only. In accordance with the principles of the invention, any feature of a drawing may be referenced or claimed in combination with any feature of any other drawing.

This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems, and performing any built-in methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that are produced by those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or do include equivalent structural elements with non-substantial differences from the literal language of the claims.

NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION