US 11,855,712 B2
Power extender for smart-home controllers using 2-wire communication
Daniel Adam Warren, Portola Valley, CA (US); Michael Mitchell, San Francisco, CA (US); and Nathan Lentz, Sacramento, CA (US)
Assigned to Google LLC, Mountain View, CA (US)
Filed by Google LLC, Mountain View, CA (US)
Filed on Aug. 8, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/883,341.
Application 17/883,341 is a continuation of application No. 17/131,062, filed on Dec. 22, 2020, granted, now 11,539,397.
Prior Publication US 2023/0081230 A1, Mar. 16, 2023
Int. Cl. H04B 3/54 (2006.01); H02M 7/217 (2006.01); H03K 5/00 (2006.01)
CPC H04B 3/542 (2013.01) [H02M 7/217 (2013.01); H03K 5/00 (2013.01); H03K 2005/00013 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An intermediate device for powering a controller using power from an environmental system, the intermediate device comprising:
a plurality of wire connectors comprising:
a power wire connector that is configured to receive a power wire from the environmental system;
a command wire connector that is configured to receive a command wire from the controller, wherein the command wire is associated with a function of the environmental system; and
a return wire connector that is configured to receive a return wire from the controller; and
a resistance circuit between the power wire connector and the command wire connector, wherein the resistance circuit is configured to:
provide a first resistance when the command wire connector is shorted to the return wire connector; and
provide a second resistance when the command wire connector is not shorted to the return wire connector, wherein the second resistance is less than the first resistance.