HVAC high voltage powerline communication systems and methods

A method for controlling operation of a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, comprising:

• determining, using a controller in the HVAC system, an address mapping that associates each of a plurality of devices implemented in the HVAC system to a corresponding primary address and a corresponding secondary address, wherein a primary address is used to identify a corresponding device and a secondary address indicates one or more power lines to which the corresponding device is electrically coupled;
• determining, using the controller, a first primary address and a first secondary address associated with a first device based at least in part on the address mapping, wherein the first device is configured to be electrically coupled to either a first power line that conducts a first phase of electrical power, a second power line that conducts a second phase of electrical power, or both;
• generating, using the controller, a first data message that indicates a first control command and the first primary address associated with the first device, wherein the first control command is to be communicated to the first device to instruct the device to adjust operation;
• instructing, using the controller, modulator circuitry in the HVAC system to modulate voltage of the first phase of electrical power conducted by the first power line based on the first data message to enable supplying the first control command to the first device along with the first phase of electrical power when the first secondary address indicates that the first device is electrically coupled to the first power line;
• instructing, using the controller, de-modulator circuitry in the HVAC system to filter a superimposed modulated data message received from the first device via the first power line to extract a modulated data message from the superimposed modulated data message based at least in part on frequency of the first phase of electrical power, frequency of the modulated data message, amplitude of the first phase of electrical power, amplitude of the modulated data message, or any combination thereof;
• de-modulating, using the de-modulator circuitry, amplitude, frequency, or both of the modulated data message to produce a second data message;
• determining, using the controller, that the second data message is not received within a threshold duration after instructing the modulator circuitry to modulate the voltage of the first phase of electrical power;
• and
• instructing, using the controller, the modulator circuitry to modulate voltage of the first phase of electrical power conducted by the first power line based on the first data message to enable re-supplying the first control command to the first device along with the first phase of electrical power based on the second data message not being received within the threshold duration.

A tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium, comprising instructions executable by one or more processors implemented in a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to:

• determine an address mapping that associates each of a plurality of devices implemented in the HVAC system to a corresponding primary address and a corresponding secondary address, wherein a primary address is used to identify a corresponding device and a secondary address indicates one or more power lines to which the corresponding device is electrically coupled;
• determine a first primary address and a first secondary address associated with a first device in the HVAC system based at least in part on the address mapping, wherein the first device is configured to be electrically coupled to either a first power line that conducts a first phase of electrical power, a second power line that conducts a second phase of electrical power, or both;
• generate a first data message that indicates a first control command and the first primary address associated with the first device, wherein the first control command is to be communicated to the first device to instruct the device to adjust operation;
• instruct modulator circuitry in the HVAC system to modulate voltage of the first phase of electrical power conducted by the first power line based on the first data message to enable supplying the first control command to the first device along with the first phase of electrical power when the first secondary address indicates that the first device is electrically coupled to the first power line;
• instructing de-modulator circuitry in the HVAC system to filter a superimposed modulated data message received from the first device via the first power line to extract a modulated data message from the superimposed modulated data message based at least in part on frequency of the first phase of electrical power, frequency of the modulated data message, amplitude of the first phase of electrical power, amplitude of the modulated data message, or any combination thereof;
• de-modulating, using the de-modulator circuitry, amplitude, frequency, or both of the modulated data message to produce a second data message;
• determining whether the second data message is received within a threshold duration after instructing the modulator circuitry to modulate the voltage of the first phase of electrical power;
• and
• instructing the modulator circuitry to modulate voltage of the first phase of electrical power conducted by the first power line based on the first data message to enable re-supplying the first control command to the first device along with the first phase of electrical power when the second data message is not received within the threshold duration.

A heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system comprising:

• a first device configured to be electrically coupled to either a first power line that conducts a first phase of electrical power, a second power line that conducts a second phase of electrical power, or both;
• and
• a zone control panel configured to be electrically coupled to the first power line and the second power line, wherein the zone control panel comprises modulator circuitry, and a microcontroller programmed to, when a first control command is to be communicated to the first device to instruct the first device to adjust operation:
• determine an address mapping that associates each of a plurality of devices implemented in the HVAC system to a corresponding primary address and a corresponding secondary address, wherein a primary address is used to identify a corresponding device and a secondary address indicates one or more power lines to which the corresponding device is electrically coupled;
• determine a first primary address and a first secondary address associated with the first device based at least in part on the address mapping;
• generate a first data message that indicates the first control command and the first primary address associated with the first device;
• instruct the modulator circuitry to modulate voltage of the first phase of electrical power conducted by the first power line based on the first data message to enable supplying the first control command to the first device along with the first phase of electrical power when the first secondary address indicates that the first device is electrically coupled to the first power line;
• instruct the modulator circuitry to modulate the voltage of the first phase of electrical power conducted by the first power line and voltage of the second phase of electrical power conducted by the second power line based on the first data message to enable supplying the first control command to the first device along with both the first phase of electrical power and the second phase of electrical power when the first secondary address indicates that the first device is electrically coupled to both the first power line and the second power line;
• and
• wherein, in response to the microcontroller instructing the modulator circuitry to modulate the voltage of the first phase of electrical power conducted by the first power line and the voltage of the second phase of electrical power conducted by the second power line, the first device is programmed to:
• receive a first instance of the first data message on the first power line;
• receive a second instance of the first data message on the second power line;
• and
• perform error detection of the first data message based on a comparison of the first instance of the first data message and the second instance of the first data message.