Remote device for a multi-phase power distribution network communication system

Abstract

A remote device for receiving communication signals carried by the phase conductors of a multi-phase power distribution network communication system is dislosed. The remote device includes a circuit for independently receiving each of the communication signals carried by the phase conductors. The receiving circuit produces an input signal having a serial format in response to each of the received communication signals. A clock circuit produces a train of clock pulses and a train of strobe pulses, each of the strobe pulses being produced in response to the production of a predetermined number of clock pulses. A serial-to-parallel shift register is responsive to each of the input signals. At the positive transition of each of the clock pulses, a sample value of each input signal is clocked into one of the serial-to-parallel shift register. Upon the production of each strobe pulse, the samples are transferred from each shift register to a latched storage register. Each strobe pulse also informs a microprocessor-based control logic circuit to read the samples from each of the latched storage registers. The samples are input to the control logic circuit in a parallel format. The control logic circuit reconstructs and processes the communication signals from the sample values of each of the input signals. The control logic circuit is responsive to the reconstructed, processed communication signals in accordance with the nature of the remote device.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.