Systems and methods for DC power and data communication over a single pair of wires, for a quick-service restaurant

An intercom communication system configured for one or more quick service restaurant drive-throughs, the drive-throughs including one or both of a menu board and a speaker post, the system comprising:

• an audio-order placement sub-system positionally associated with one or both of the menu board and the speaker post, the audio-order placement sub-system comprising:
• a microphone configured to capture sound from a customer placing an order at or near one or both of the menu board and the speaker post, and to generate order information signals that represent the sound captured from the customer;
• an order-placement encoder configured to encode the order information signals to form order data packets;
• an order-placement decoder configured to decode restaurant data packets from a base station into restaurant signals;
• a speaker configured to generate restaurant sound based on the restaurant signals such that the generated restaurant sound is audible to the customer at or near one or both of the menu board and the speaker post;
• and
• an order-placement transceiver configured to (i) transmit the order data packets from the audio-order placement sub-system to the base station through a single pair of wires, and (ii) receive the restaurant data packets from the base station through the single pair of wires;
• wherein at least one of the order-placement encoder, the order-placement decoder, the speaker, and the order-placement transceiver is powered by power transmitted from the base station through the single pair of wires;
• the single pair of wires, wherein the single pair of wires is communicatively coupled between the audio-order placement sub-system and the base station;
• the base station, the base station comprising:
• one or more base station transceivers configured to (i) receive the order data packets as transmitted through the single pair of wires by the order-placement transceiver of the audio-order placement sub-system, (ii) transmit data packets based on the order data packets to an audio-order receipt sub-system, (iii) receive the restaurant data packets from the audio-order receipt sub-system, and (iv) transmit the restaurant data packets through the single pair of wires to the order-placement transceiver of the audio-order placement sub-system;
• and
• the audio-order receipt sub-system located remotely from the audio-order placement sub-system, comprising:
• an order-receipt transceiver configured to (i) transmit the restaurant data packets from the audio-order receipt sub-system, and (ii) receive the data packets based on the order data packets from the audio-order receipt sub-system;
• an order-receipt decoder configured to decode the data packets based on the order data packets into digital order signals, wherein the digital order signals are based on the sound received from the customer;
• one or more processors configured to:
• perform order taking based on the digital order signals, wherein performing the order taking includes generating digital restaurant information signals and forming the restaurant data packets based on the digital restaurant information signals.