Wireless AP Bridging Across Home Power Phases and Circuits
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern home networking systems face challenges in effectively interconnecting a variety of wired and wireless electronic devices across multiple circuits and phases, leading to difficulties in managing increasing device numbers and types.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of wireless access points (APs) that perform wired communications over one circuit and wireless communications with another AP on a separate circuit, enabling wireless transport to bridge communications between disparate circuits and phases, and utilizing an alien bridge to establish communication when APs are not in wireless range.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If wireless access points are used to interconnect devices across multiple circuits and phases, then connectivity and functionality are enhanced, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces wireless access points as intermediary devices that bridge communication between different power circuits and phases. These APs act as mediators that translate and relay signals across isolated electrical domains, enabling connectivity without direct wired connections between all devices. This resolves the contradiction by providing adaptability through wireless bridging while managing complexity through standardized intermediary nodes.
Solution Approach 2:
The wireless access points perform multiple functions simultaneously: they provide wireless connectivity, bridge between different power phases, enable multiphase power distribution, and facilitate communication across isolated circuits. This multi-functionality improves versatility while consolidating complexity into universal nodes rather than requiring specialized components for each function.
2Productivity
If multiphase bridging is implemented to interconnect isolated phases, then system throughput improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Wireless access points serve as intermediary devices that implement multiphase bridging functionality. They detect the power phase of connected devices and dynamically route communications through appropriate wireless paths, enabling high-speed data transfer across previously isolated phases. This achieves improved system throughput while containing complexity within the wireless domain rather than requiring complex wired reconfiguration.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adapts to different power phase configurations by having wireless access points detect and respond to the electrical phase of connected devices in real-time. This dynamic phase detection and routing capability enables high throughput across varying configurations without requiring static, pre-configured complex wiring arrangements for each possible phase combination.
3Adaptability or versatility
If alien bridge is used to establish communication between APs not in wireless range, then connectivity is improved, but latency increases
Solution Approach 1:
The alien bridge functionality uses wireless access points as intermediaries to establish communication paths between APs that are out of direct wireless range. Rather than requiring direct peer-to-peer communication, data is relayed through intermediate APs that are within range of both endpoints. This improves connectivity for distant or obstructed devices while managing latency through efficient multi-hop routing protocols.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from two-dimensional direct line-of-sight wireless communication to three-dimensional multi-hop routing through the wireless network space. By adding the temporal dimension of relayed communication, the system achieves connectivity across spatial distances that exceed direct wireless range, balancing extended reach against increased transmission time through multiple hops.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and devices for a home power networking system including a first wireless access point (AP) configured to perform wired communications over a first circuit connected to the first wireless AP. The first wireless AP further performs wireless communications with a second wireless AP, wherein the second wireless access point is connected to a second circuit and is not connected to the first circuit. The first wireless AP provides wireless transport through the second wireless AP to bridge communications between the first circuit and the second circuit.