JP2008028817A - Wall outlet - Google Patents

Abstract

A wall outlet capable of widely opening a space in front of the outlet and performing power line communication using a general information processing apparatus.
A power line communication modem for performing communication by superimposing data on a power line is provided in a housing 11 embedded in a wall surface, and the power line is exposed on a surface of the housing 11 exposed on the wall surface. A plug socket 13 to be connected and a setting port 16 for performing initial setting of the power line communication modem are provided.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a wall outlet. More particularly, the present invention relates to a wall outlet having a built-in modem for power line communication.

  Power Line Communication (PLC) is a technology that uses a power transmission line such as a distribution line that sends power from a substation to each home or an indoor distribution line that runs around the home as a signal transmission path, A power line communication modem (hereinafter also referred to as a PLC modem) is one that enables a power line to be used as a signal transmission path.

  A PLC modem converts digital data from an information processing device such as a personal computer (computer) into analog line data and superimposes it on the power line of a commercial power supply, and converts analog line data input via the power line into a digital signal. To the information processing apparatus.

  By the way, the PLC modem and the information processing apparatus are always used as a pair, and both require a power source for operating. For this reason, if a PLC modem can be built into the device in advance, otherwise, if there is not enough room for the outlet to be used by the information processing device, prepare another outlet for the PLC modem to be used together Or, it is necessary to prepare another outlet for branching the outlet. For this reason, there is a problem that the wiring around the equipment becomes complicated and the appearance is not good.

  In order to simplify the wiring around the equipment, a power line communication modem provided with a service outlet has been proposed. For example, in FIG. 3 of Patent Document 1, an outlet plug 3 and an interface connection portion 5 are provided on one surface of a casing constituting a power line communication modem, and the plug teeth 2 are projected on a surface opposite to the one surface. A power line communication modem 1 is described in which the plug teeth 2 are inserted into an outlet. In FIG. 3 of Patent Document 2, an insertion plug 22 for taking in AC power is provided on one surface of a rectangular parallelepiped case 21 that also constitutes a power line communication modem, and the insertion plug 22 is internally provided on the other surface. A power line communication modem 20 provided with an outlet 23 connected to is described. On the other surface of the power line communication modem 20, a plurality of USB connectors 24, Ethernet connectors 25, and modular jacks 26 are provided.

  Further, as a method for simplifying wiring from an information processing apparatus, Patent Document 3 discloses a rectifier circuit that converts an AC power source into DC, a modem circuit that is supplied with a DC voltage from the rectifier circuit, and a modem circuit. A power line communication modem is described that includes a connected USB connector and a signal superimposing circuit that superimposes a signal processed by the modem circuit on the AC power supply, and supplies a DC voltage from the rectifier circuit to the USB connector. Then, according to the power line communication modem described in Patent Document 3, supply of power is performed simply by supplying AC power to the power line communication modem from a single outlet in the home and connecting the power line communication modem and the information processing apparatus. And data exchange can be performed at the same time.

  Furthermore, in Patent Document 4, although simplification of wiring is not a direct issue, the wireless communication interface is used by being attached to an appropriate place on a power line laid in a building such as a building or a home. A network outlet is described which includes a power line communication interface capable of communicating by being superimposed on a power line, and integrally including a receptacle for the power line.

JP-A-7-264107 JP 2003-258690 A JP 2003-298477 A JP 2004-15455 A

  In the power line communication modems described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the plug provided on one side of the power line communication modem is inserted into an outlet, and the interface connection unit and the outlet provided on the other side of the power line communication modem are connected. The power line communication becomes possible by connecting the interface and plug from each information processing device, and the wiring is simplified compared to the conventional one, but the area around the outlet (specifically, the front of the outlet) ) Requires a space for the power line communication modem, and depending on the position of the outlet, there is a restriction that power line communication using the outlet becomes difficult.

  Moreover, in the power line communication modem described in Patent Document 3, although the wiring between the power line communication modem and the information processing apparatus is simplified, a wiring for connecting the power line communication modem to an outlet is necessary. The problem remains that modem installation space is required.

  Furthermore, in the network outlet described in Patent Document 4, since the target is limited to a power line or a home appliance that supports a wireless communication interface, the outlet is not provided with an interface connection unit, and as a result, the power line or wireless A general information processing apparatus that is not compatible with a communication interface cannot be used.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a wall outlet capable of widely opening a space in front of the outlet and performing power line communication using a general information processing apparatus. It is said.

  In the wall outlet of the present invention, a power line communication modem for performing communication by superimposing data on a power line is provided in a housing embedded in a wall surface, and the power line is exposed on the surface exposed to the wall surface in the housing. Are provided, and an outlet port to which is connected, and a setting port for performing an initial setting of the power line communication modem.

  In the wall outlet of the present invention, an outlet socket and a setting port are provided on one surface (surface exposed to the wall surface) of the housing containing the power line communication modem. Therefore, the housing can be disposed (embedded) in the wall so that the surface on which the outlet socket and the setting port are provided is substantially flush with the wall surface of the room. The installation space for the power line communication modem can be omitted. In some cases, the surface where the outlet port and setting port are provided, or the part where the setting port is provided may be recessed to make it difficult for external impact to be applied to the connector part inserted into the setting port. it can. In addition, since a setting port for performing initial setting of the power line communication modem is provided, the initial setting of the power line communication modem such as assignment of an IP address of the modem unit and entry of a password is performed using the setting port. Settings can be made. Then, power line communication can be performed by using the setting port as a communication port type port or by providing a communication port separately from the setting port.

  It is preferable to provide a switch for turning on and off the operation of the power line communication modem on the surface of the housing (the surface exposed to the wall surface). According to this configuration, the power line communication modem can be operated only when necessary, and energy saving can be achieved. Even when the power line communication modem hangs up, the power line communication modem can be reset without affecting other devices.

  Display means for indicating the operating status of the power line communication modem can be provided on the surface of the housing. As the display means, an LED, a liquid crystal screen, an electroluminescence element, or the like can be used. For example, when data is transmitted / received by connecting a personal computer to a power line communication modem, it is possible to easily confirm visually whether or not the modem is operating normally by changing the blinking state of the LED.

  A plurality of communication ports to which communication cables other than the power line can be connected can be provided on the surface of the housing. According to this configuration, a plurality of information processing apparatuses can be used at one place.

  A wireless communication unit for performing wireless communication with an external wireless communication compatible device can be provided in the housing. The wireless communication compatible device is typically a wireless LAN. In this case, data communication by power line communication can be performed via the wireless LAN. In addition, a Bluetooth (registered trademark) device, an infrared communication device, or the like can be used, and a plurality of wireless communications can be supported.

  According to the wall outlet of the present invention, it is possible to open a wide space in front of the outlet and perform power line communication using a general information processing apparatus.

Hereinafter, embodiments of a wall outlet according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[Embodiment 1]
1 is a perspective explanatory view of a wall outlet according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the wall outlet shown in FIG.

  The wall outlet 10 according to Embodiment 1 has a rectangular parallelepiped housing 11, and a wiring cable 12 from a switchboard breaker (not shown) is drawn into one side surface of the housing 11. On the front surface of the housing 11, a power outlet switch 13 for turning on / off the operation of a power line communication modem built in the housing 11, an outlet socket 13 for inserting a plug of an electric device including an information processing device such as a personal computer. 14. An LED 15 which is a display means for indicating the operation status of the power line communication modem, and an e-support 16 which is a setting port which also serves as a communication port and which can perform initial setting of the power line communication modem are provided. Yes. Using this e-support 16, initial settings such as assignment of the IP address of the modem section of the power line communication modem and entry of a password can be performed.

  The housing 11 can have an appropriate configuration. For example, the housing 11 can include a box body 11a embedded in a wall and a decorative plate 11b that covers the front surface of the box body 11a.

  The front surface of the housing 11 is a surface exposed to the wall surface when the housing 11 is attached to the wall, that is, embedded in the wall, and the front surface when the wall outlet 10 is installed is substantially flush with the wall surface. Only the outlet 13, the power switch 14, the LED 15, and the e-support 16 are located on the same plane as the wall surface. Thus, by installing the power line communication modem in the wall, the installation space in the room of the power line communication modem can be omitted. Then, by inserting a plug of an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer into the outlet socket 13 and connecting a data communication connector to the e-support 16, power line communication can be performed. Instead of the e-support 16, a setting port that also serves as another communication port such as a USB port, an RS-232C port, and a firewire (IEEE1394 port) can be used. In addition, a setting-specific port can be used instead of a setting port that also serves as a communication port. In this case, power line communication can be performed by providing a communication port separately from the setting port. .

  As shown in FIG. 2, a power line communication modem unit (PLC modem unit) 17 and a power supply unit 18 are provided in the housing 11, and the power line communication modem unit 17 and the power supply unit 18 mainly use the power line communication modem. It is configured. The power supply unit 18 converts a commercial power supply of 100 V supplied from the wiring cable 12 into a voltage necessary for the operation of the power line communication modem unit 17, for example, a DC voltage of 5 V, and outputs the converted voltage to the power line communication modem unit 17. ing. The power line communication modem unit 18 modulates the data input from the e-support 16 and superimposes it on the voltage / current of the power line and sends it to the wiring cable 12, and the data input via the wiring cable 12. The data signal is separated and demodulated from the commercial power source on which the signal is superimposed, and transmitted to the information processing apparatus such as a personal computer via the e-support 16. As the power supply unit 18 and the power line communication modem unit 17, configurations conventionally used can be appropriately adopted.

  In the present embodiment, since the power switch 14 for turning on / off the operation of the power line communication modem is provided on the front surface of the housing 11, the power line communication modem can be operated only when necessary, thereby saving energy. Can do. Even when the power line communication modem hangs up, the power line communication modem can be reset without affecting other devices.

  In this embodiment, since the LED 15 indicating the operation status of the power line communication modem is provided, for example, when data is transmitted / received by connecting a personal computer to the power line communication modem, the flashing status of the LED 15 is changed. Thus, it can be easily confirmed visually whether or not the modem is operating normally.

  When a default switch for returning the setting of the power line communication modem unit 17 to the factory default state is provided in the housing 11, an insertion hole for an operating tool for pushing the default switch is provided in the housing 11. Provided on the exposed surface.

[Embodiment 2]
3 is a perspective explanatory view of a wall outlet according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the wall outlet shown in FIG.

  The wall outlet 20 according to the second embodiment is provided with a plurality of e-supports 16 as LAN ports to which a communication cable other than power line communication can be connected on the front surface of the housing 11. It differs from the wall outlet 10 according to the first embodiment in that a switching unit 21 that performs switching (switching) of the plurality of e-supports 16 is provided. Therefore, in the second embodiment, the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment are given to the same components or elements as those in the first embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted for the sake of simplicity. As the switching unit 21, for example, a commercially available SW hub circuit can be used.

  According to the second embodiment, a plurality of information processing apparatuses can be used at one place (outlet), which is convenient.

[Embodiment 3]
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a wall outlet according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.
The wall outlet 30 according to the third embodiment is different from the wall outlet 20 according to the second embodiment in that a wireless communication unit 30 for performing wireless communication with an external wireless communication compatible device is additionally provided. ing. Therefore, in the third embodiment, the same reference numerals as those of the second embodiment are given to the same components or elements as those of the second embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted for the sake of simplicity. The wireless communication unit 30 transmits / receives data signals to / from an information processing apparatus such as a notebook computer having a wireless communication function, and inputs / outputs the transmitted / received data signals to / from the power line communication modem unit 17. Between.

  According to the third embodiment, data communication by power line communication can be performed via a wireless LAN.

It is a perspective explanatory view of a wall outlet according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the wall socket which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is an isometric view explanatory drawing of the wall socket which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the wall socket which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the wall socket which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

10, 20,
30 Wall outlet 11 Housing 13 Outlet outlet 14 Power switch 15 LED (display means)
16 eSupport (setting port)
17 Power Line Communication Modem Unit 18 Power Supply Unit 21 Switching Unit 31 Wireless Communication Unit

Claims (5)

  A power line communication modem for superimposing data on a power line for communication is provided in a housing embedded in a wall surface, and an outlet plug into which the power line is connected to a surface exposed to the wall surface in the housing A wall outlet comprising a mouth and a setting port for performing an initial setting of the power line communication modem.   The wall outlet according to claim 1, wherein a switch for turning on and off the operation of the power line communication modem is provided on the surface of the housing.   The wall outlet according to any one of claims 1 and 2, wherein a display means for indicating an operation status of the power line communication modem is provided on the surface of the housing.   The wall outlet according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a plurality of communication ports capable of connecting a communication cable other than the power line are provided on the surface of the housing.   The wall outlet according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a wireless communication unit for performing wireless communication with an external wireless communication compatible device is provided in the housing.

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